Onehunga (New Zealand electorate)

Onehunga, initially with the formal name of Town of Onehunga, is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the south of the city of Auckland. Between 1861 and 1881, and between 1938 and 1996, it was represented by seven Members of Parliament. It was a stronghold for the Labour Party.

Onehunga electorate boundaries between 1993 and 1996.

Population centres

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In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of representatives by 12, reflecting the immense population growth since the original electorates were established in 1853. The redistribution created 15 additional electorates with between one and three members, and Onehunga was one of the single-member electorates.[1] The electorates were distributed to provinces so that every province had at least two members. Within each province, the number of registered electors by electorate varied greatly.[1]

The 1931 New Zealand census had been cancelled due to the Great Depression, so the 1937 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth into account. The increasing population imbalance between the North and South Islands had slowed, and only one electorate seat was transferred from south to north. Five electorates were abolished, one former electorate (Onehunga) was re-established, and four electorates were created for the first time.[2]

The electorate was urban, and comprised a number of suburbs in the southern part of Auckland.

History

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The electorate existed in the 19th century from 1861 to 1871 as Town of Onehunga, and then from 1871 to 1881 as Onehunga.[3] For the whole period the seat was held by George O'Rorke,[4] who became Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1879.[5]

Onehunga was recreated in 1938,[3] and lasted to 1996. With the introduction of MMP in 1996, Onehunga and Panmure were combined into the new electorate of Maungakiekie.

Except for 1990–1993, Onehunga was held by Labour from its 1938 recreation.

Members of Parliament

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The Onehunga electorate was represented by seven Members of Parliament.

Key

  Independent   Labour   National

Election Winner
(electorate established as Town of Onehunga in 1860)
1861 election George O'Rorke
1866 election
(electorate renamed Onehunga in 1871)
1871 election George O'Rorke
1875 election
1879 election
(Electorate abolished 1881–1938)
1938 election Arthur Osborne
1943 election
1946 election
1949 election
1951 election
1953 by-election Hugh Watt
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election
1972 election
1975 election Frank Rogers
1978 election
1980 by-election Fred Gerbic
1981 election
1984 election
1987 election
1990 election Grahame Thorne
1993 election Richard Northey
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Maungakiekie)

Election results

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1993 election

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1993 general election: Onehunga [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Northey 7,183 35.54
National Grahame Thorne 6,776 33.53 −9.62
Alliance Matt Robson 3,503 17.33
NZ First Ian Shearer 2,132 10.55
Christian Heritage Barry Paterson 318 1.57
McGillicuddy Serious Richard Foster 110 0.54
Natural Law Bryan Lee 95 0.47
Independent Warwick Jordan 89 0.44
Majority 407 2.01
Turnout 20,206 84.44 +9.28
Registered electors 23,929

1990 election

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1990 general election: Onehunga [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Grahame Thorne 8,290 43.15
Labour Fred Gerbic 7,678 39.96 −16.29
Green Laurie Ross 1,909 9.93
NewLabour Mark Philip 1,016 5.28
Social Credit Janice Matthews 170 0.88
Democrats Arthur Drabble 148 0.77
Majority 612 3.18
Turnout 19,211 75.16 −9.22
Registered electors 25,557

1987 election

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1987 general election: Onehunga [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fred Gerbic 10,753 56.25 +5.01
National Andrew Stanley 7,424 38.84
Democrats Thomas Keith Park 937 4.90
Majority 3,329 17.41 −2.93
Turnout 19,114 84.38 −5.17
Registered electors 22,652

1984 election

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1984 general election: Onehunga [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fred Gerbic 11,354 51.24 +3.97
National Carol Freeman 6,846 30.90
NZ Party Peter Blakeborogh 2,894 13.06
Social Credit Deborah Maree Terei 841 3.79
Values Ruth Helen Gardner Symons 137 0.61
Independent Stanley Lusby 83 0.37
Majority 4,508 20.34 +9.69
Turnout 22,155 89.55 +1.54
Registered electors 24,740

1981 election

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1981 general election: Onehunga [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fred Gerbic 8,925 47.27 −0.85
National Sue Wood 6,913 36.61 −2.63
Social Credit Stuart Perry 3,040 16.10 +15.11
Majority 2,012 10.65 +1.78
Turnout 18,878 88.01 +37.78
Registered electors 21,451

1980 by-election

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1980 Onehunga by-election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fred Gerbic 6,543 48.12
National Sue Wood 5,336 39.24
Social Credit Thomas Keith Park 1,535 11.29 −0.06
Independent Stuart Perry 134 0.99
Cheer Up Vince Terreni 35 0.26
Imperial British Conservative Max Overton 17 0.13
Majority 1,207 8.87
Turnout 13,600 50.23 −10.04
Registered electors 27,071
Labour hold Swing

1978 election

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1978 general election: Onehunga [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Rogers 8,837 46.99 +0.86
National Barrie Hutchinson 7,420 39.45
Social Credit Thomas Keith Park 2,135 11.35
Values Dianne Paton 390 2.07
National Socialist Colin King-Ansell 22 0.11
Majority 1,417 7.53 +1.71
Turnout 18,804 60.27 −15.94
Registered electors 31,199

1975 election

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1975 general election: Onehunga [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Rogers 8,264 46.13
National Kevin O'Brien 7,220 40.30
Social Credit Judy Charlton 1,264 7.05
Values Jack Frost 1,129 6.30
Socialist Unity John Willis 35 0.19
Majority 1,044 5.82
Turnout 17,912 76.21 −10.46
Registered electors 23,501

1972 election

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1972 general election: Onehunga [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 10,053 58.67 −1.23
National Peter Blakeborough 5,218 30.45
Social Credit Alf Benson 1,669 9.74 +1.15
New Democratic Arthur Bree 194 1.13
Majority 4,835 28.21 −0.19
Turnout 17,134 86.67 +0.01
Registered electors 19,767

1969 election

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1969 general election: Onehunga [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 9,574 59.90 +1.38
National Daphne Double 5,035 31.50 +2.83
Social Credit Alf Benson 1,373 8.59
Majority 4,539 28.40 −1.45
Turnout 15,982 85.66 −1.86
Registered electors 18,657

1966 election

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1966 general election: Onehunga [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 8,361 58.52 −4.61
National Daphne Double 4,096 28.67
Social Credit James Robinson 1,828 12.79
Majority 4,265 29.85 −3.98
Turnout 14,285 83.80 −5.10
Registered electors 17,045

1963 election

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1963 general election: Onehunga [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 9,567 63.13 −1.96
National J P Mason 4,440 29.29
Social Credit John Clarence Leitch 741 4.88 +0.93
Liberal W F Lauder 274 1.80
Communist Stan Hieatt 132 0.87
Majority 5,127 33.83 −1.03
Turnout 15,154 88.90 +9.73
Registered electors 17,045

1960 election

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1960 general election: Onehunga [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 8,785 65.09 −2.23
National Paul Brian Phillips 4,080 30.23
Social Credit John Clarence Leitch 534 3.95
Communist Donald McEwan 97 0.71
Majority 4,705 34.86 −4.39
Turnout 13,496 79.17 −14.48
Registered electors 17,045

1957 election

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1957 general election: Onehunga [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 9,752 67.32 +4.83
National Donald Watson 4,066 28.07
Social Credit George Alexander Pealing 667 4.60
Majority 5,686 39.25 +8.89
Turnout 14,485 93.65 +2.16
Registered electors 15,466

1954 election

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1954 general election: Onehunga [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 9,033 62.49 −4.50
National Alfred E. Allen 4,644 32.12
Social Credit Ernest Richard James 777 5.37
Majority 4,389 30.36 −3.61
Turnout 14,454 91.49 +28.01
Registered electors 15,797

1953 by-election

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1953 Onehunga by-election[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Hugh Watt 6,868 66.99
National Leonard Bradley 3,385 33.01 −10.01
Informal votes 13 0.13
Majority 3,483 33.97
Turnout 13,749 63.48 −23.51
Registered electors 16,171
Labour hold Swing

1951 election

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1951 general election: Onehunga [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Osborne 8,017 56.98 −0.31
National Leonard Bradley 6,051 43.02
Majority 1,966 13.97 −1.99
Turnout 14,068 86.99 −5.02
Registered electors 16,171

1949 election

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1949 general election: Onehunga [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Osborne 8,255 57.29 −5.06
National Alan A. Coates 5,955 41.33
Communist Roy Stanley 198 1.37
Majority 2,300 15.96 −8.75
Turnout 14,408 92.01 −2.21
Registered electors 15,658

1946 election

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1946 general election: Onehunga [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Osborne 8,639 62.35 +6.67
National William Kenneth King 5,215 37.64
Majority 3,424 24.71 +4.13
Turnout 13,854 94.22 +5.07
Registered electors 14,703

1943 election

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1943 general election: Onehunga[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Osborne 8,993 55.68 −8.88
National John Park 5,704 35.31 +0.36
Democratic Labour Norman Douglas 1,099 6.80
Real Democracy Theodore Edwin Somerville 287 1.77
People's Movement Louis Edgar Read 67 0.41
Informal votes 115 0.71 +0.21
Majority 3,324 20.58 −9.00
Turnout 16,150 89.15 −3.62
Registered electors 18,115

1938 election

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1938 general election: Onehunga[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Osborne 9,412 64.56
National John Park 5,098 34.95
Informal votes 73 0.50
Majority 4,314 29.58
Turnout 14,583 92.77
Registered electors 15,718

Notes

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  1. ^ a b McRobie 1989, p. 35.
  2. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 87–92.
  3. ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 269.
  4. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 225.
  5. ^ Rogers, Frank. "O'Rorke, George Maurice". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  6. ^ Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993.
  7. ^ Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Norton 1988, p. 296.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Norton 1988, p. 295.
  10. ^ "The New Zealand Official Year-Book, 1951–52". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  11. ^ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  12. ^ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 80, no. 24713. 13 October 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  14. ^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

References

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  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.