Parnell was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, from 1861 to 1954, with one break of eight years.

Population centres

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 Parnell 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 Parnell electorate had 268 registered electors for the 1861 election.[2]

Over the years, Parnell sometimes comprised a small area, and sometimes it covered quite a large area. Much of the area covered fluctuated between the Parnell and Manukau electorates.[3]

In 1927 the Representation Commission proposed altering the Parnell boundaries; which if confirmed would have made the electorate "dry" or no-licence, and without an authority which could issue temporary licences for the Ellerslie and Alexandra Park raceways. Following objections, the boundary between the Parnell and Auckland East electorates was adjusted to include a hotel in the Parnell electorate (so retaining its licensing committee). John A. Lee later claimed that this adjustment cost him his Auckland East seat in the 1928 election. [4] In 1936 Lee tried to weaken Endean's grip on Parnell (the only non-Labour seat in Auckland) with the Orakei state housing scheme, and proposed to evict the Māori marae (see Bastion Point). Michael Joseph Savage reversed the Cabinet decision when he returned from the Coronation in England.[5]

In the 1937 electoral redistribution, Parnell was abolished and replaced with the Remuera electorate, covering almost exactly the same area as Parnell had since the 1927 electoral redistribution.[6]

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, 19 electorates were created for the first time, and eight former electorates were re-established, including Parnell.[7] The Parnell electorate existed alongside the Remuera electorate.[8] It was abolished again with the next electoral redistribution, which was held in 1952 and became effective with the 1954 election.[9] Most of the Parnell electorate's area went once again to the Remuera electorate.[10]

History

The electorate was represented by ten Members of Parliament:[11]

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent   Conservative   Liberal   Reform   United   National

Election Winner
1861 election Reader Wood
1865 by-election Robert Creighton
1866 election Frederick Whitaker
1867 by-election Charles Heaphy
1870 by-election Reader Wood
1871 election
1875 election
1878 by-election Frederick Moss
1879 election
1881 election
1884 election
1887 election
1890 election Frank Lawry
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election James Dickson
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election Harry Jenkins
1930 by-election Bill Endean
1931 election
1935 election
(electorate abolished 1938–1946; see Remuera)
1946 election Duncan Rae
1949 election
1951 election
(electorate abolished 1954; see Remuera)

Election results

1951 election

1951 general election: Parnell[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Duncan Rae 6,355 57.13 +3.58
Labour Hugh Watt 4,768 42.86
Majority 1,587 14.26 +6.04
Turnout 11,123 87.36 -6.54
Registered electors 12,732

1949 election

1949 general election: Parnell[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Duncan Rae 6,255 53.55 +3.80
Labour Bill Schramm 5,295 45.33
Communist Rita Smith 131 1.12
Majority 960 8.22 +6.53
Informal votes 54 0.46 -1.72
Turnout 11,735 93.90 -0.51
Registered electors 12,497

1946 election

1946 general election: Parnell[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Duncan Rae 6,059 49.75
Labour Bill Schramm 5,853 48.06
Informal votes 266 2.18
Majority 206 1.69
Turnout 12,178 94.41
Registered electors 12,898

1935 election

1935 general election: Parnell[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Bill Endean 5,758 39.36 -25.87
Labour Arthur Osborne 5,028 34.37
Independent Alexander Herdman 3,334 22.79
Independent Liberal Frederick Coles Jordan 507 3.46
Informal votes 174 1.18 -0.10
Majority 730 4.99 -37.66
Turnout 14,627 90.42 +11.48
Registered electors 16,176

1931 election

1931 general election: Parnell[16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Bill Endean 7,374 65.23 +17.68
Labour John William Yarnall 2,553 22.58
Independent William Collingbourne Hewitt 1,377 12.18
Majority 4,821 42.65 +26.75
Informal votes 147 1.28 +0.97
Turnout 11,451 78.94 +6.20
Registered electors 14,506

1930 by-election

1930 Parnell by-election[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Bill Endean 4,852 47.55
United W. Alan Donald[19] 3,230 31.65
Labour Tom Bloodworth 2,122 20.80
Majority 1,622 15.90 +8.88
Informal votes 32 0.31 -0.37
Turnout 10,236 72.74 -13.81
Registered electors 14,073

1928 election

1928 general election: Parnell[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Harry Reginald Jenkins 5,642 46.64
Reform James Samuel Dickson 4,793 39.62
Labour John William Yarnall[17] 1,661 13.73
Majority 849 7.02
Informal votes 83 0.68
Turnout 12,179 86.54
Registered electors 14,073

1919 election

1919 general election: Parnell[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform James Samuel Dickson 5,706 62.50
Labour Tom Bloodworth 2,287 25.05
Liberal Rosetta Baume 1,026 11.23
Informal votes 110 1.20
Majority 3,419 37.45
Turnout 9,129 76.17
Registered electors 11,985

b Rosetta Baume was one of three women in 1919 who stood at short notice when women were able to stand as candidates for election to parliament.

1911 election

1911 general election: Parnell, first ballot[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform James Samuel Dickson 3,585 44.19
Liberal John Findlay 2,971 36.62
Labour Joe Mack 1,557 19.19
Majority 614 7.57
Informal votes 93 1.13
Turnout 8,206 81.97
Registered electors 10,011
1911 general election: Parnell, second ballot[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform James Samuel Dickson 4,264 52.71
Liberal John Findlay 3,826 47.29
Majority 438 5.41
Informal votes 25 0.31
Turnout 8,115 81.06
Registered electors 10,011

1899 election

1899 general election: Parnell[23][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frank Lawry 2,263 49.93
Conservative Hugh Campbell 1,423 31.40
Conservative John Candlish Allen 846 18.67
Majority 840 18.53
Turnout 4,532 74.55
Registered electors 6,079

1890 election

1890 general election: Parnell[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frank Lawry 656 59.47
Independent J M Lennox 447 40.52
Majority 209 18.94
Turnout 1,103 64.27
Registered electors 1,716

Notes

  1. ^ a b McRobie 1989, p. 35.
  2. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 33.
  3. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 32–86.
  4. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 10.
  5. ^ Olssen 1977, pp. 105, 106.
  6. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 86–91.
  7. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  8. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 94f.
  9. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 98f.
  10. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 94, 98.
  11. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 270.
  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. p. 4. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  14. ^ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  15. ^ The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  16. ^ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  17. ^ a b "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXVIII, no. 21036. 21 November 1931. p. 16. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  18. ^ "Final Figures". The Evening Post. Vol. CIX, no. 112. 14 May 1930. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  19. ^ "By-election Campaign". Auckland Star. Vol. LXI, no. 99. 29 April 1930. p. 9. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  20. ^ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  21. ^ Hislop, J. (1921). The General Election, 1919. National Library. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  22. ^ a b "The General Election, 1911". National Library. 1912. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  23. ^ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  24. ^ "Electoral District of Parnell". Observer. Vol. XIX, no. 1095. 23 December 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  25. ^ "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.

References

Categories