Miramar (New Zealand electorate)

Summary

Miramar was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the south-eastern suburbs of Wellington. It was created in 1946, replacing Wellington East, and was replaced by Rongotai for the first MMP election of 1996.

Miramar electorate boundaries between 1993 and 1996.

Population centres edit

The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Miramar.[1] The electorate's boundary was initially located on the Rongotai isthmus that is occupied by Wellington Airport.[2] This boundary slowly shifted towards the city of Wellington in subsequent electoral redistributions.[3] The electorate boundaries were unaffected by the electoral redistributions in 1972 and 1987.[4] The electorate was abolished in 1996, when it was replaced by the Rongotai electorate.

History edit

The electorate was marginal, and changed several times between the parties. The first representative in 1946 was Bob Semple of the Labour Party.[5] Semple did not stand for re-election in 1954 and died at New Plymouth in January 1955.[6]

Semple was succeeded by Labour's Bill Fox, who served from 1954 until his defeat in the 1966 election by National's Bill Young.[7]

Members of Parliament edit

Key

  Labour   National

Election Winner
1946 election Bob Semple
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election Bill Fox
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election
1966 election Bill Young
1969 election
1972 election
1975 election
1978 election
1981 election Peter Neilsen
1984 election
1987 election
1990 election Graeme Reeves
1993 election Annette King
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Rongotai)

Election results edit

1993 election edit

1993 general election: Miramar[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Annette King 10,352 46.42
National Graeme Reeves 7,757 34.78 -8.71
Alliance Jody Hamilton 2,590 11.61
NZ First Andrew Campbell 960 4.30
Christian Heritage Robin Corner 353 1.58
McGillicuddy Serious Hellen Sarah Thornton 187 0.83
Natural Law Wayne Shepard 65 0.29
Private Enterprise Frank Moncur 35 0.15 +0.07
Majority 2,595 11.63
Turnout 22,299 85.85 -0.65
Registered electors 25,972

1990 election edit

1990 general election: Miramar[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Graeme Reeves 8,789 43.49
Labour Peter Neilson 8,237 40.76 -16.51
Green Denis Foot 1,914 9.47
NewLabour Josie Bullock 965 4.77
McGillicuddy Serious John Morrison 123 0.60
Democrats David Coad 69 0.34 -1.97
Social Credit C J Whittaker 64 0.31
Independent M Day 29 0.14
Private Enterprise Frank Moncur 17 0.08 -0.07
Majority 552 2.73
Turnout 20,207 86.50 -1.29
Registered electors 23,359

1987 election edit

1987 general election: Miramar[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Neilson 11,556 57.27 +7.89
National Ian Macfarlane 7,495 37.14
Democrats David Coad 468 2.31
Independent Viv Walker 433 2.14
McGillicuddy Serious S M Smith 143 0.70
NZ Party B H Purvis 50 0.24
Private Enterprise Frank Moncur 32 0.15 +0.02
Majority 4,061 20.12 +4.56
Turnout 20,177 87.79 -5.60
Registered electors 22,983

1984 election edit

1984 general election: Miramar[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Neilson 11,102 49.38 +3.53
National Don Crosbie 7,603 33.81
NZ Party Mike Bungay 3,424 15.22
Social Credit P M Lines 279 1.24
Independent John Kirk 43 0.19
Private Enterprise Frank Moncur 31 0.13
Majority 3,499 15.56 +12.93
Turnout 22,482 93.39 +2.90
Registered electors 24,072

1981 election edit

1981 general election: Miramar[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Neilson 9,821 45.85
National Bill Young 9,172 42.82 -1.51
Social Credit Rod Carlisle 2,303 10.75 +0.84
Independent G N McCardle 121 0.56
Majority 649 3.03
Turnout 21,417 90.49 +22.42
Registered electors 23,667

1978 election edit

1978 general election: Miramar[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Bill Young 9,236 44.33 -5.60
Labour Bill Jeffries 8,921 42.82
Social Credit Rod Carlisle 2,065 9.91
Values Denis Welch 611 2.93
Majority 315 1.51 -7.76
Turnout 20,833 65.07 -16.73
Registered electors 32,014

1975 election edit

1975 general election: Miramar[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Bill Young 9,413 49.93 +2.72
Labour John Wybrow 7,664 40.65
Values Cathy Wilson 956 5.07
Social Credit Frederick Joseph Charles Morgan 773 4.10 +0.25
Independent George Nieris 45 0.23
Majority 1,749 9.27 +6.80
Turnout 18,851 81.80 -9.21
Registered electors 23,044

1972 election edit

1972 general election: Miramar[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Bill Young 8,294 47.21 -5.35
Labour Brian Edwards 7,860 44.74
Social Credit Frederick Joseph Charles Morgan 677 3.85 -1.31
Values D Tindill 630 3.58
New Democratic K Boyd 54 0.30
Independent J D Howard 50 0.28
Majority 434 2.47 -7.82
Turnout 17,565 91.01 +0.77
Registered electors 19,299

1969 election edit

1969 general election: Miramar[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Bill Young 9,134 52.56 +5.91
Labour Charles Troughton 7,345 42.26
Social Credit Frederick Joseph Charles Morgan 898 5.16 -2.40
Majority 1,789 10.29 +9.42
Turnout 17,377 90.24 +3.79
Registered electors 19,255

1966 election edit

1966 general election: Miramar[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Bill Young 7,767 46.65 -0.21
Labour Bill Fox 7,621 45.78 -3.50
Social Credit Frederick Joseph Charles Morgan 1,259 7.56
Majority 146 0.87
Turnout 16,647 86.45 -4.99
Registered electors 19,255

1963 election edit

1963 general election: Miramar[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Fox 8,465 49.28 +0.72
National Bill Young 8,049 46.86
Social Credit George Johnson 662 3.85
Majority 416 2.42 -0.73
Turnout 17,176 91.44 +2.06
Registered electors 18,782

1960 election edit

1960 general election: Miramar[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Fox 7,186 48.56 -5.76
National Bernard Lewis Lyons 6,719 45.40
Social Credit Robert William Johnson 893 6.03 +1.28
Majority 467 3.15 -10.25
Turnout 14,798 89.38 -4.11
Registered electors 16,555

1957 election edit

1957 general election: Miramar[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Fox 8,417 54.32 +2.51
National Clevedon Costello 6,340 40.92
Social Credit Robert William Johnson 736 4.75
Majority 2,077 13.40 +2.96
Turnout 15,493 93.49 +5.32
Registered electors 16,571

1954 election edit

1954 general election: Miramar[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bill Fox 7,576 51.81
National Robert John McConnell 6,049 41.37
Social Credit Roy Matheson Gunn 998 6.82
Majority 1,527 10.44
Turnout 14,623 88.17 -3.11
Registered electors 16,584

1951 election edit

1951 general election: Miramar[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Semple 6,785 53.59 -0.49
National Cuthbert Taylor 5,878 46.41 +2.22
Majority 501 3.95 -5.93
Turnout 12,663 85.63 -5.65
Registered electors 14,788

1949 election edit

1949 general election: Miramar[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Semple 7,193 54.08 -5.02
National Cuthbert Taylor 5,878 44.19
Communist Kenneth Stanton 229 1.72
Majority 1,315 9.88 -8.30
Turnout 13,300 91.28 +1.29
Registered electors 14,570

1946 election edit

1946 general election: Miramar[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Semple 8,064 59.10
National Len Jacobsen 5,582 40.90
Majority 2,482 18.18
Turnout 13,646 90.99
Registered electors 14,996

Notes edit

  1. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  2. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 94.
  3. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 94–126.
  4. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 115, 127.
  5. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 233.
  6. ^ Richardson, Len. "Semple, Robert". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  7. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 197, 247.
  8. ^ Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993.
  9. ^ Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Norton 1988, pp. 278.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Norton 1988, pp. 277.
  12. ^ "The New Zealand Official Year-Book, 1951–52". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  13. ^ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  14. ^ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.

References edit

  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.