Otahuhu (New Zealand electorate)

Otahuhu is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the southern suburbs of the city of Auckland, from 1938 to 1963, and then from 1972 to 1984.

Population centres

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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, including Otahuhu.[1]

For the purposes of the country quota, the 1936 census had determined that some 30% of the population lived in urban areas, and the balance in rural areas.[2] Since the 1969 election, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, with continued faster population growth in the North Island leading to an increase in the number of general electorates. There were 84 electorates for the 1969 election,[3] and the 1972 electoral redistribution saw three additional general seats created for the North Island, bringing the total number of electorates to 87.[4] Together with increased urbanisation in Christchurch and Nelson, the changes proved very disruptive to existing electorates. [4] In the South Island, three electorates were abolished, and three electorates were newly created.[5] In the North Island, five electorates were abolished, two electorates were recreated (including Otahuhu), and six electorates were newly created.[6]

The Otahuhu electorate was located in the south of Auckland. Settlements that fell into the initial Otahuhu electorate were Howick, Papatoetoe, Māngere, Manurewa, and Brookby.[7]

History

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The first representative, elected in 1938, was Charles Robert Petrie. In the previous parliamentary term, Petrie had represented the Hauraki electorate, which then had covered the South Auckland suburbs.[8][9] Petrie retired in 1949.[8]

In the 1963 general election the seat was abolished and Bob Tizard stood in Pakuranga, so only represented Otahuhu from 16 March (after a by-election due to the death of James Deas) to 29 October 1963. He later returned to the seat when it was reconstituted. When it was abolished in 1984, he stood in Panmure.

Members of Parliament

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Key

  Labour   National

Election Winner
1938 election Charles Robert Petrie
1943 election
1946 election
1949 election Leon Götz
1951 election
1954 election James Deas
1957 election
1960 election
1963 by-election Bob Tizard
(Electorate abolished 1963–1972; see Pakuranga)
1972 election Bob Tizard (2nd period)
1975 election
1978 election
1981 election
(Electorate abolished in 1984; see Panmure)

Election results

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1981 election

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1981 general election: Otahuhu[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Tizard 8,803 56.12 −0.98
National Stuart McDowell 3,639 23.20
Social Credit Ken Harris 3,189 20.33
Socialist Unity Ella Ayo 54 0.34 +0.20
Majority 5,164 32.92 −2.35
Turnout 15,685 82.77 +25.17
Registered electors 18,950

1978 election

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1978 general election: Otahuhu[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Tizard 8,896 57.10 +1.30
National Ray Ah Chee 4,134 26.53
Social Credit Ken Harris 2,288 14.68
Values I M Johnson 236 1.51
Socialist Unity Ella Ayo 23 0.14
Majority 4,762 30.57 −6.68
Turnout 15,577 57.60 −19.10
Registered electors 27,041

1975 election

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1975 general election: Otahuhu[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Tizard 8,838 55.80 −12.55
National Lois Morris 5,053 31.90
Social Credit Patrick Ford 1,020 6.44
Values Peter Johnston 879 5.54
Socialist Unity Barbara Miller 26 0.16
Independent Joseph Erwin Moosman 22 0.13 −0.25
Majority 3,785 23.89 −20.35
Turnout 15,838 76.70 −10.43
Registered electors 20,648

1972 election

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1972 general election: Otahuhu[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Tizard 9,891 68.35
National D C Brooker 3,488 24.10
Social Credit E R James 935 6.46
New Democratic Catherine Mary Langstone 101 0.69
Independent Joseph Erwin Moosman 56 0.38
Majority 6,403 44.24
Turnout 14,471 87.13
Registered electors 16,608

1963 by-election

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1963 Otahuhu by-election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Tizard 6,108 63.07
National Thomas Tucker 3,450 35.64 −3.69
Communist Stan Hieatt 125 1.29 +0.60
Majority 2,658 27.45
Turnout 9,683 51.10 −39.89
Registered electors 18,947
Labour hold Swing

1960 election

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1960 general election: Otahuhu[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Deas 9,247 56.19 −2.82
National Thomas Tucker 6,473 39.33
Social Credit Allan Donovan 622 3.77
Communist Stan Hieatt 114 0.69
Majority 2,774 16.85 −5.90
Turnout 16,456 90.99 −3.74
Registered electors 18,084

1957 election

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1957 general election: Otahuhu[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Deas 8,927 59.01 +7.15
National Clive Haszard 5,485 36.26
Social Credit Frederick Coles Jordan 714 4.72 −0.84
Majority 3,442 22.75 +11.28
Turnout 15,126 94.73 +1.63
Registered electors 15,966

1954 election

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1954 general election: Otahuhu[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Deas 8,162 51.86 +8.04
National Leonard Bradley 6,356 40.38
Social Credit Frederick Coles Jordan 875 5.56
Independent Rita Violet Fulljames 344 2.18
Majority 1,806 11.47
Turnout 15,737 93.10 +1.39
Registered electors 16,902

1951 election

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1951 general election: Otahuhu[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Leon Götz 9,668 56.18 +2.13
Labour James Deas 7,540 43.82
Majority 2,128 12.36 +4.26
Turnout 17,208 91.71 −3.82
Registered electors 18,762

1949 election

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1949 general election: Otahuhu[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Leon Götz 8,493 54.05
Labour Alex Dixon 7,218 45.95
Majority 1,275 8.10
Turnout 15,711 95.53 +1.35
Registered electors 16,445

1946 election

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1946 general election: Otahuhu[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Robert Petrie 6,957 50.81 +3.89
National Albert Murdoch 6,737 49.19
Majority 220 1.60 −1.88
Turnout 13,694 94.18 +5.24
Registered electors 14,539

1943 election

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1943 general election: Otahuhu[14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Robert Petrie 6,251 46.92 −11.95
National Gordon Hamilton 5,787 43.43
Democratic Labour Clare Jowsey 811 6.08
Real Democracy Cyril James Mahon 345 2.58
Informal votes 128 0.96 +0.66
Majority 464 3.48 −15.53
Turnout 13,322 88.94 −4.82
Registered electors 14,977

1938 election

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1938 general election: Otahuhu[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Robert Petrie 7,020 58.87
National Kenneth Tennent 4,753 39.86
Informal votes 36 0.30
Majority 2,267 19.01
Turnout 11,924 93.76
Registered electors 12,717

Notes

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  1. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 87–92.
  2. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 91.
  3. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 111.
  4. ^ a b McRobie 1989, p. 115.
  5. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 112, 116.
  6. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 111, 115.
  7. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 90.
  8. ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 226.
  9. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 86.
  10. ^ a b c d Norton 1988, p. 301.
  11. ^ a b c d e Norton 1988, p. 300.
  12. ^ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. ^ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  14. ^ "The General Election, 1943". National Library. 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  15. ^ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 80, no. 24713. 13 October 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  16. ^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 February 2012.

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.