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Port Waikato (New Zealand electorate)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Port Waikato
Single-member constituency
for the New Zealand House of Representatives
RegionAuckland and Waikato
Major settlementsPukekohe, Ngāruawāhia (formerly)
Current constituency
Created1996–2008 (original), 2020 (recreated)
Current MPAndrew Bayly
PartyNational

Port Waikato is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate which existed for four parliamentary terms from 1996 to 2008, and was recreated by the 2019/20 electoral redistribution ahead of the 2020 election. It was held by Bill Birch for one term, and by Paul Hutchison for the following three terms. From 2020, it was held by Andrew Bayly. All of these were members of the National Party.

During the campaign for the 2023 general election, the ACT Party candidate died. Only a poll for the party vote was held during this election; the electorate vote was determined in the 2023 Port Waikato by-election.

Population centres

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The 1996 election was notable for the significant change of electorate boundaries, based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 1993.[1] Because of the introduction of the mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system, the number of electorates had to be reduced, leading to significant changes. More than half of the electorates contested in 1996 were newly constituted, and most of the remainder had seen significant boundary changes. In total, 73 electorates were abolished, 29 electorates were newly created (including Port Waikato), and 10 electorates were recreated, giving a net loss of 34 electorates.

The Port Waikato electorate was formed from parts of the Franklin, Raglan, and Waikato electorates, all of which were abolished.[2] In its initial area, towns with more than one polling booth were Huntly, Pukekohe, Ngāruawāhia, Tuakau, and Waiuku. Localities with a single polling booth were Aka Aka, Awhitu, Bombay, Buckland, Glen Massey, Glen Murray, Glenbrook, Horotiu, Mauku, Meremere, Naike, Ohinewai, Onewhero, Orini, Otaua, Paerata, Pōkeno, Port Waikato, Pukekawa, Pukemiro, Pukeoware, Puni, Raglan, Rangiriri, Ruawaro, Taupiri, Te Ākau, Te Hoe, Te Kauwhata, Te Kohanga, Te Kowhai, Te Pahu, Te Uku, Waerenga, Waikaretu, Waikokowai, Waingaro, Waipipi, Waiterimu, Waitetuna, Whatawhata, and Whitikahu.[3]

History

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Bill Birch was the first representative of the Port Waikato electorate following the 1996 election. Throughout his long parliamentary career, which started in 1972, Birch always represented the electorate in which the town of Pukekohe was located, where he had established a business prior to entering parliament.[4] When Birch retired at the 1999 election, he was succeeded by Paul Hutchison, a medical specialist. When the Port Waikato electorate was abolished in 2008, Hutchison transferred to the reconstituted Hunua electorate, which he represented until his retirement from politics at the 2014 election.[5][6]

In the 2019/2020 boundary review, the Representation Commission recreated it. This was necessitated by significant population growth in South Auckland and the Waikato region. It was created out of the western portion of Hunua and the northwestern area of Waikato.[7] Of the nine creations at that redistribution, it was one of the four included in the initial proposals.[8]

In 2023, Neil Christensen, who was a candidate for the ACT Party, died during the advance voting period. This triggered the Port Waikato by-election for the candidate vote, which will be held on 25 November 2023.[9]

Members of Parliament

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Key

  National   Labour

Election Winner
1996 election Bill Birch
1999 election Paul Hutchison
2002 election
2005 election
(Electorate abolished 2008–2020; see Hunua)
2020 election Andrew Bayly
2023 election Cancelled due to death of a candidate[9]
2023 by-election Andrew Bayly

List MPs

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Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Port Waikato electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Key

Election Winner
2008 Louisa Wall1
2023 Andrew Bayly2
Casey Costello

1Wall was elected from the party list in March 2008 following the resignation of Ann Hartley.

2 Bayly was elected from the National's party list in the 2023 New Zealand general election after the cancellation of electorate vote in Port Waikato after the death of the ACT Party candidate. Bayly was elected as the seat's MP in the subsequent 2023 Port Waikato by-election.

Election results

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2023 by-election

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The following table shows the preliminary results of the by-election.[10]

2023 Port Waikato by-election

Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the by-election.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list prior to the by-election.
Yellow background denotes the winner of the by-election, who was a list MP prior to the by-election.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Green tickY Andrew Bayly 14,296 76.33 +37.59
NZ First Casey Costello 2,864 15.29
NewZeal Alfred Ngaro 409 2.18 +1.74
Animal Justice Anna Rippon 297 1.59
NZ Loyal Kim Turner 237 1.27
DemocracyNZ Scotty Bright 225 1.20
Women's Rights Jill Ovens 188 1.00
Independent Gordon Dickson 88 0.47
Vision NZ Vijay Sudhamalla 48 0.26
Informal votes 76 0.41 -1.28
National hold Majority 11,432 61.04 +50.36

2023 election

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The electorate vote was cancelled due to the death of ACT candidate Neil Christensen. Only the party vote is shown below, with candidates as originally nominated at the close of nominations.

2023 general election: Port Waikato[11]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Andrew Bayly 21,277 49.88 +13.71
Labour Gwendoline Keel 7,918 18.56 -21.56
ACT Neil Christensen 5,107 11.97 +1.33
NZ First Casey Costello 3,146 7.38 +4.46
Green Karla Buchanan 2,486 5.83 +2.50
NZ Loyal Kim Turner 552 1.29
Opportunities   508 1.19 +0.27
Te Pāti Māori   381 0.89 +0.57
DemocracyNZ Scotty Bright 232 0.54
NewZeal   229 0.54 +0.21
Legalise Cannabis   177 0.41 +0.05
Freedoms NZ   150 0.35 +0.18
Animal Justice Anna Rippon 94 0.22
New Conservative   66 0.15 -1.53
Women's Rights   29 0.07
Leighton Baker Party   25 0.06
New Nation   22 0.05
Vision NZ Vijay Sudhamalla
Informal votes 258
Total valid votes 42,657

2020 election

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2020 general election: Port Waikato[12]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Andrew Bayly 15,635 38.74 14,756 36.17
Labour Baljit Kaur 11,322 28.06 16,369 40.12
Heartland Mark Ball 8,462 20.97 574 1.41
Green Bill Wilson 1,342 3.32 1,357 3.33
ACT Dave King 1,340 3.32 4,343 10.64
New Conservative Steven Senn 529 1.31 684 1.68
Advance NZ Jamie Macgregor 341 0.84 353 0.87
Independent Ian James Cummings 285 0.71
Outdoors Lucille Rutherfurd 209 0.52 49 0.12
ONE Ian Johnson 176 0.44 135 0.33
Independent Nick Pak 40 0.10
NZ First   1,190 2.92
Opportunities   374 0.92
Legalise Cannabis   147 0.36
Māori Party   130 0.32
Sustainable NZ   26 0.06
Vision NZ   22 0.05
TEA   17 0.04
Social Credit   7 0.02
Informal votes 675 269
Total valid votes 40,356 40,802
National win new seat Majority 4,313 10.68

1999 election

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Refer to Candidates in the 1999 New Zealand general election by electorate#Port_Waikato for a list of candidates.

1996 election

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1996 general election: Port Waikato[3][13][14]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Bill Birch 12,529 43.80 10,809 37.58
NZ First John Forbes 5,527 19.32 4,996 17.37
Labour Terry Hughes 4,888 17.09 6,354 22.09
Alliance Francis Petchey 2,922 10.22 2,452 8.52
ACT Marlene Lamb 804 2.81 1,796 6.24
Christian Coalition Rick Hayward 733 2.56 1,211 4.21
United NZ Diane Colson 720 2.52 319 1.11
McGillicuddy Serious David Sutcliffe 397 1.39 122 0.42
Natural Law Rhonda-Lisa Comins 84 0.29 27 0.09
Legalise Cannabis   441 1.53
Progressive Green   64 0.22
Animals First   51 0.18
Green Society 25 0.09
Superannuitants & Youth 23 0.08
Mana Māori   21 0.07
Ethnic Minority Party 18 0.06
Conservatives 17 0.06
Libertarianz   10 0.03
Advance New Zealand 8 0.03
Asia Pacific United 1 0.00
Te Tawharau 0 0.00
Informal votes 266 105
Total valid votes 28,604 28,765
National win new seat Majority 7,002 24.48

References

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  1. ^ Electoral Act 1993 (Act 87). 17 August 1993. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Electorate Profile Port Waikato" (PDF). New Zealand Parliamentary Library. October 2005. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place – Port Waikato, 1996" (PDF). Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. ^ Birch, Bill (8 October 1999). "House: Valedictory of Rt. Hon. Sir William Birch" (Press release). Wellington. Scoop. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  5. ^ Vance, Andrea (25 October 2013). "National MPs to retire". Stuff. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Dr Paul Hutchison". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Report of the Representation Commission 2020" (PDF). 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  8. ^ "What's happening now in the boundary review". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b Cheng, Derek (9 October 2023). "Election 2023: Act candidate Neil Christensen dies, by-election to be held for Port Waikato". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Port Waikato - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  11. ^ New Zealand Electoral Commission. "Port Waikato – Official Result". electionresults.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  12. ^ New Zealand Electoral Commission (6 November 2020). "Port Waikato – Official Result". Electionresults.govt.nz. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Part III – Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Part III – Party Lists of unsuccessful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.