Hurunui was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, from 1902 (when it replaced Ashley) to 1963.

Population centres

The Representation Act 1900 had increased the membership of the House of Representatives from general electorates 70 to 76, and this was implemented through the 1902 electoral redistribution. In 1902, changes to the country quota affected the three-member electorates in the four main centres. The tolerance between electorates was increased to ±1,250 so that the Representation Commissions (since 1896, there had been separate commissions for the North and South Islands) could take greater account of communities of interest. These changes proved very disruptive to existing boundaries, and six electorates were established for the first time, including Hurunui, and two electorates that previously existed were re-established.[1]

The Hurunui electorate was rural. In the 1902 election, there were 34 polling stations, ranging from Amberley (the principal station), Kaikōura, Ashley, Sefton, Waikari, and Mackenzie.[2] In 1905, election meetings were held in Hawarden and Balcairn.[3]

History

The Hurunui electorate was first formed for the 1902 election, when it replaced the Ashley electorate. The first election in the new electorate was contested by five candidates: Richard Meredith of the Liberal Party, who was the incumbent from the Ashley electorate, Andrew Rutherford who also stood as a Liberal, George Forbes who stood as an Independent Liberal, as he did not gain the Liberal Party's nomination, Henry Reece, and George Thomas Pulley. Rutherford was successful, gaining almost twice the number of votes than the second-placed candidate, Reece.[4]

Three candidates contested the 1905 election. Rutherford was returned with more than twice the votes of Obed Frederick Clothier, and George Thomas Pulley came a distant third.[5][6]

Rutherford retired in 1908,[7] and George Forbes and Obed Frederick Clothier contested the 1908 election. Forbes was successful, and started his long parliamentary career that would see him hold the electorate for the next 35 years to 1943.[8][9] Forbes was Prime Minister from 1930 to 1935.[10]

William Gillespie succeeded Forbes in 1943 and held the electorate until his death in 1961.[11]

The last member was Lorrie Pickering of the National Party from the 1961 by-election to 1963. Pickering transferred to the new Rangiora electorate in 1963.[12]

In 1954, Norman Kirk stood in Hurunui as the Labour candidate, his first venture into national (parliamentary) politics. He increased Labour's share of the vote considerably, but did not win.[13]

Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament.[14]

Key

  Liberal   United   National

Election Winner
1902 election Andrew Rutherford
1905 election
1908 election George Forbes
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election
1931 election
1935 election
1938 election
1943 election William Gillespie
1946 election
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1961 by-election Lorrie Pickering
(Electorate abolished in 1963; see Rangiora)

Election results

1961 by-election

1961 Hurunui by-election[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Lorrie Pickering 6,644 52.91
Labour Arthur Adcock 4,760 37.91
Social Credit Jack Clark 1,153 9.18
Majority 1,884 15.00
Turnout 12,557 74.13
Registered electors 16,940
National hold Swing

1960 election

1960 general election: Hurunui
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National William Gillespie 8,307 55.2 +2.6
Labour Arthur Adcock 5,576 37.0 -3.3
Social Credit Jack Clark 1,180 7.8 +0.5
Majority 2,731 18.2
Turnout 90.2
Registered electors 16,745

1957 election

1957 general election: Hurunui
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National William Gillespie 7,614 53.4 +0.1
Labour Lyn Christie 5,865 40.3 +7.4
Social Credit Laurie Cate 1,057 7.3 -7.5
Majority 1,749 12.1
Turnout 93.2
Registered electors 15,657

1954 election

1954 general election: Hurunui[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National William Gillespie 6,454 52.3 -8.7
Labour Norman Kirk 4,059 32.9
Social Credit Laurie Cate 1,829 14.8
Majority 2,395 19.4 -2.6
Turnout 13,524 91.8 +3.9

1951 election

1951 general election: Hurunui
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National William Gillespie 8,086 61.0 +1.5
Labour Ed Cassidy 5,165 39.0 -1.5
Majority 2,921 22.0
Turnout 87.9
Registered electors 15,099

1949 election

1949 general election: Hurunui
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National William Gillespie 7,952 59.5 +3.9
Labour Arthur J. Smith 5,417 40.5 -3.9
Majority 2,535 19.0
Turnout 93.3
Registered electors 14,397

1946 election

1946 general election: Hurunui
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National William Gillespie 7,121 55.6
Labour John Mathison 5,681 44.4
Majority 1,440 11.2
Turnout 93.9
Registered electors 13,626

1943 election

There were four candidates in 1943, with the election won by William Gillespie over James William Morgan.[16]

1938 election

1938 general election: Hurunui[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National George Forbes 5,679 52.23 +3.03
Labour Harold Denton 5,144 47.31
Informal votes 49 0.45 -0.22
Majority 535 4.92 -7.16
Turnout 10,872 94.71 +4.28
Registered electors 11,479

1935 election

1935 general election: Hurunui[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United George Forbes 4,897 49.20 -24.47
Labour Donald Cyrus Davies 3,694 37.11
Independent Oliver Duff[19] 1,362 13.68
Informal votes 67 0.67 -0.13
Majority 1,203 12.08 -35.27
Turnout 9,953 90.43 +10.60
Registered electors 11,006

1931 election

1931 general election: Hurunui[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United George Forbes 6,151 73.67 +17.62
Labour R J Logan[21] 2,198 26.33
Informal votes 67 0.80 -0.33
Majority 3,953 47.35 +28.06
Turnout 8,416 79.83 -10.26
Registered electors 10,543

1928 election

1928 general election: Hurunui[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United George Forbes 5,344 56.05 +0.91
Reform Leslie Robert Cathcart Macfarlane 3,505 36.76
Labour Frederick Turley 576 6.04
Informal votes 108 1.13 +0.21
Majority 1,839 19.29 +8.08
Turnout 9,533 90.09 -0.56
Registered electors 10,581

1925 election

1925 general election: Hurunui[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 3,989 55.14 -2.95
Reform J G Armstrong 3,178 43.93
Informal votes 67 0.92 -0.45
Majority 811 11.21 -5.35
Turnout 7,234 90.65 +5.23
Registered electors 7,980

1922 election

1922 general election: Hurunui[25][26][27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 3,963 58.09 +5.98
Reform S Andrew 2,765 40.53
Informal votes 94 1.37 +0.51
Majority 1,198 17.56 +6.01
Turnout 6,822 85.42 +4.66
Registered electors 7,986

1919 election

1919 general election: Hurunui[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 3,008 52.11 -12.80
Reform J G Armstrong 2,341 40.55
Independent G G Gardner 373 6.46
Informal votes 50 0.86 -0.16
Majority 667 11.55 -18.28
Turnout 5,772 80.76 -2.03
Registered electors 7,147

1914 election

1914 general election: Hurunui[29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 3,233 64.91 +6.02
Reform William Banks 1,747 35.08
Informal votes 46 0.92 -0.10
Majority 1,486 29.83 +11.02
Turnout 4,980 82.79 +3.63
Registered electors 6,015

1911 election

1911 general election: Hurunui, First ballot[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 2,940 58.89 +1.01
Reform David Macfarlane 2,001 40.08
Informal votes 51 1.02 +0.52
Majority 939 18.81 +2.74
Turnout 4,992 79.16 +14.17
Registered electors 6,306

1908 election

1908 general election: Hurunui, Second ballot[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 2,150 57.88 +9.66
Conservative Obed Cloither 1,553 41.81 +10.02
Informal votes 11 0.29 0.54
Majority 597 16.07
Turnout 3,714 64.99 -9.61
1908 general election: Hurunui, First ballot[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Forbes 2,056 48.22
Conservative Obed Cloither 1,357 31.83
Ind. Labour League G D Greenwood 509 11.93
Independent Liberal George Pulley 309 7.24
Informal votes 32 0.75
Turnout 4,263 74.60
Registered electors 5,714

1902 election

1902 general election: Hurunui[32]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Rutherford 1,577 44.24
Conservative Henry Fear Reece 880 24.69
Liberal Richard Meredith 834 23.40
Liberal George Forbes 205 5.75
Independent Liberal George Pulley 68 1.90
Majority 697 19.55
Turnout 3,564 85.69
Registered electors 4,519

References

  1. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 67f.
  2. ^ "Hurunui". The Press. Vol. LIX, no. 11440. 26 November 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Hurunui". The Press. Vol. LXII, no. 12367. 5 December 1905. p. 9. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Election Notices". The Press. Vol. LIX, no. 11443. 29 November 1902. p. 10. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  5. ^ "The General Elections". The Star. No. 8491. 7 December 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  6. ^ "The General Election, 1905". National Library. 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  7. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 232.
  8. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 197.
  9. ^ "The General Election, 1908". National Library. June 1906. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  10. ^ Gardner, W. J. "Forbes, George William - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  11. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 199.
  12. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 227.
  13. ^ Bassett, Michael. "Kirk, Norman Eric - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  14. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 265.
  15. ^ a b Norton 1988, p. 250.
  16. ^ "Public Notices". The Press. Vol. LXXIX, no. 24076. 12 October 1943. p. 1. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  17. ^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  18. ^ The New Zealand Official Year-Book. Government Printer. 1936. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  19. ^ "The Hurunui Seat". The Press. Vol. LXXI, no. 21588. 26 September 1935. p. 12. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  20. ^ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  21. ^ "In Canterbury". Auckland Star. Vol. LXII, no. 281. 27 November 1931. p. 8. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  22. ^ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  23. ^ "Electoral notices". The Press. Vol. LXIV, no. 19454. 30 October 1928. p. 15. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  24. ^ The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  25. ^ The New Zealand Official Year-Book. Government Printer. 1924. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  26. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 83f.
  27. ^ Hislop 1923, pp. 1–6.
  28. ^ Hislop, J. (1921). The General Election, 1919. National Library. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  29. ^ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  30. ^ "The General Election, 1911". National Library. 1912. pp. 1–14. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  31. ^ a b "The General Election, 1908". National Library. 1909. pp. 1–34. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  32. ^ The General Election, 1902. National Library. 1903. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2014.

Bibliography

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