Kumara was a parliamentary electorate in the West Coast region of New Zealand, from 1881 to 1890.
Population centres
editThe previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European population had increased by 65%. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of European representatives to 91 (up from 84 since the 1875–76 election). The number of Māori electorates was held at four. The House further decided that electorates should not have more than one representative, which led to 35 new electorates being formed, including Kumara, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.[1]
The electorate got its name from the town of Kumara. The northern boundary of the electorate was the Taramakau River over its entire length (i.e. up to Harper's Pass). The electorate was located between the Greymouth and Hokitika electorates. The eastern boundary was the old boundary between the Canterbury and Westland Provinces.[1]
In the 1887 electoral redistribution, the northern boundary shifted further north, and Lake Brunner was gained.[2]
History
editKumara was established for the 1881 election and was abolished after three parliamentary terms in 1890. The electorate was represented by one Member of Parliament, the future Premier Richard Seddon, known as 'King Dick'.[3] Seddon had previously, since the 1879 election, represented Hokitika. Following the abolition of the Kumara electorate, Seddon successfully stood in the Westland electorate in the 1890 election.[4] He became Premier in 1893.[5]
Members of Parliament
editKey
| Election | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1881 election | Richard Seddon | |
| 1884 election | ||
| 1887 election | ||
Election results
edit1887 election
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Richard Seddon | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,816 | ||||
1884 election
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Richard Seddon | 667 | 57.31 | +4.33 | |
| Independent | Edwin Blake | 497 | 42.69 | −4.43 | |
| Majority | 170 | 14.60 | +8.86 | ||
| Turnout | 1,164 | 62.61 | +4.21 | ||
| Registered electors | 1,859 | ||||
1881 election
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Richard Seddon | 700 | 52.88 | ||
| Independent | Edwin Blake | 624 | 47.12 | ||
| Majority | 76 | 5.74 | |||
| Turnout | 1,324 | 58.40 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,267 | ||||
Notes
edit- ^ a b McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
- ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 51–53.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 266.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 233.
- ^ Hamer, David. "Seddon, Richard John - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ Cooper, G. S. (1884). The General Election, 1884. National Library. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Cooper, G. S. (1882). Votes Recorded for Each Candidate. Government Printer. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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.