Mount Albert is a parliamentary electorate in Auckland, New Zealand, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was represented by David Shearer from 13 June 2009 to 31 December 2016. It was represented by Helen Clark from the 1981 general election until her resignation from Parliament on 17 April 2009. It has elected only Labour Party MPs since it was first contested at the 1946 election. The current representative is the Prime Minister and Labour Party leader, Jacinda Ardern, who was elected in a 2017 by-election gaining 77 percent of votes cast in the preliminary results.[1]
The area that the electorate contains is notable for having produced three Labour Prime Ministers – Michael Joseph Savage, who represented the Auckland West electorate that Mt Albert was created out of in 1946; Helen Clark; and Jacinda Ardern. Additionally, another Labour leader, David Shearer, has held the electorate but did not serve as Prime Minister.[2] In addition, Warren Freer, who represented the electorate from 1947 to 1981, served as acting Prime Minister on three occasions.
Population centres
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, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Mount Albert.
Mount Albert covers a segment of the western Auckland isthmus, based around the suburb of Mount Albert and stretching from Kingsland on the eastern periphery of the central city down to Sandringham and extending as far as Avondale on the seat's western edge. Changes brought about by an electoral redistribution after the 2006 census saw a swap of suburbs with neighbouring Auckland Central – Newton on the city fringe being returned to Auckland Central, having been moved out in 1999, and Point Chevalier being drafted in.
The present incarnation of Mount Albert dates to 1999, when the creation of the Mount Roskill seat necessitated removing the suburbs clustered around the north side of Manukau Harbour from the Owairaka electorate. The name Mount Albert had been out of use for only three years – before Owairaka was drawn up ahead of the change to Mixed Member Proportional voting in 1996, the Mount Albert electorate had been part of the New Zealand electoral landscape for fifty years.
History
Mount Albert was first created for the 1946 election. The electorate is notable for being contested by three later Prime Ministers, Robert Muldoon, Helen Clark and Jacinda Ardern.
The first representative, Arthur Shapton Richards, died after only one year in the office.[6]
Richards was succeeded by Warren Freer in the 1947 by-election, and Freer held the electorate until he retired in 1981. Freer was challenged in the 1954 election by National's Muldoon (Prime Minister from 1975 to 1984). This occasion was Muldoon's first attempt at entering Parliament.[8] He tried to claim the seat from Labour, but no National Party candidate has ever managed to achieve what Muldoon also couldn't do. Mount Albert's inner-suburb, working-class composition makes it one of the Labour Party's safest seats. Muldoon had also previously in 1951, failed to win the National nomination for the Mount Albert electorate.[8]
Freer was succeeded by Helen Clark, who held the electorate until 1993, when it was abolished and she moved to the Owairaka electorate instead. When the Mount Albert electorate was re-established for the 1999 election, Clark became the representative again. Clark was Prime Minister from 1999 to 2008. In 2009, she resigned to become head of the United Nations Development Programme.[10]
Clark was succeeded by David Shearer through the 13 June 2009 by-election. He was re-elected as MP in the 2011 and 2014 general elections. However, his appointment to lead the United Nation's peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, pending his resignation, will result in a by-election in early 2017.[11] After the by-election, Jacinda Ardern became the new representative for the electorate, and became Labour leader 8 weeks before the 2017 election after Andrew Little stepped down as Labour leader. Ardern also moved electorate from Auckland Central, and won the Mt. Albert MP role in the 2017 election.
Members of Parliament
Key
Labour
List MPs
Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Mount Albert electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
Key
National Green
Election results
2017 election
General election, 2017: Mount Albert[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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Y Jacinda Ardern |
24,416 |
63.91 |
+5.74 |
16,742 |
43.19 |
+13.88 |
|
National |
Melissa Lee |
9,152 |
23.95 |
−4.66 |
13,112 |
33.82 |
−5.56 |
|
Green |
Julie Anne Genter |
2,438 |
6.38 |
−2.36 |
5,657 |
14.59 |
−7.09 |
|
Opportunities |
Dan Thurston |
924 |
2.41 |
- |
1,144 |
2.95 |
— |
|
NZ First |
Andrew Littlejohn |
724 |
1.89 |
— |
1,329 |
3.42 |
−0.68 |
|
Conservative |
Jeff Johnson |
117 |
0.30 |
−1.16 |
65 |
0.16 |
−1.79 |
|
Independent |
Bruce Stockman |
66 |
0.17 |
— |
|
|
Independent |
Anthony Van den Heuvel |
28 |
0.07 |
−0.14 |
|
|
ACT |
|
229 |
0.59 |
−0.47 |
|
Māori |
|
175 |
0.45 |
−0.03 |
|
Legalise Cannabis |
|
63 |
0.16 |
−0.09 |
|
People's Party |
|
31 |
0.07 |
— |
|
United Future |
|
22 |
0.05 |
−0.10 |
|
Outdoors |
|
17 |
0.04 |
— |
|
Internet |
|
12 |
0.04 |
— |
|
Mana |
|
8 |
0.02 |
— |
|
Ban 1080 |
|
6 |
0.01 |
−0.02 |
|
Democrats |
|
2 |
0.01 |
−0.01 |
Informal votes |
334 |
|
|
146 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
38,199 |
|
|
38,760 |
|
|
Turnout |
38,760 |
|
|
|
|
Labour hold |
Majority |
15,264 |
39.96 |
+10.40 |
|
2017 by-election
The following table shows the final results:[13]
2014 election
General election, 2014: Mount Albert[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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Y David Shearer |
20,970 |
58.17 |
−1.02 |
10,823 |
29.31 |
−7.78 |
|
National |
Melissa Lee |
10,314 |
28.61 |
+1.11 |
14,359 |
38.89 |
+2.22 |
|
Green |
Jeanette Elley |
3,152 |
8.74 |
−0.75 |
8,005 |
21.68 |
+4.53 |
|
Conservative |
Jeffrey Johnson |
525 |
1.46 |
−1.03 |
719 |
1.95 |
+0.34 |
|
ACT |
Tommy Fergusson |
321 |
0.89 |
−0.45 |
356 |
0.96 |
+0.03 |
|
Mana |
Joe Carolan |
290 |
0.80 |
+0.80 |
|
|
Human Rights |
Anthony van den Heuvel |
76 |
0.21 |
+0.21 |
|
|
Independent |
Michael Wackrow |
68 |
0.19 |
+0.19 |
|
|
NZ First |
|
1,512 |
4.10 |
−0.43 |
|
Internet Mana |
|
603 |
1.63 |
+1.05[lower-alpha 1] |
|
Māori |
|
178 |
0.48 |
−0.04 |
|
Legalise Cannabis |
|
93 |
0.25 |
−0.16 |
|
United Future |
|
57 |
0.15 |
−0.20 |
|
Ban 1080 |
|
12 |
0.03 |
+0.03 |
|
Civilian |
|
11 |
0.03 |
+0.03 |
|
Democrats |
|
7 |
0.02 |
±0.00 |
|
Focus |
|
6 |
0.02 |
+0.02 |
|
Independent Coalition |
|
5 |
0.01 |
+0.01 |
Informal votes |
336 |
|
|
176 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
36,052 |
|
|
36,922 |
|
|
Turnout |
36,922 |
79.41 |
+6.42 |
|
|
Labour hold |
Majority |
10,656 |
29.56 |
−2.13 |
|
2011 election
General election, 2011: Mount Albert[15] |
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Y David Shearer |
18,716 |
59.19 |
-0.10 |
12,238 |
37.09 |
-5.51 |
|
National |
Melissa Lee |
8,695 |
27.50 |
-1.35 |
12,102 |
36.67 |
+1.01 |
|
Green |
David Clendon |
3,000 |
9.49 |
+3.55 |
5,660 |
17.15 |
+6.15 |
|
Conservative |
Frank Poching |
786 |
2.49 |
+2.49 |
532 |
1.61 |
+1.61 |
|
ACT |
Stephen Boyle |
425 |
1.34 |
-2.75 |
306 |
0.93 |
-2.58 |
|
NZ First |
|
1,494 |
4.53 |
+1.85 |
|
Mana |
|
191 |
0.58 |
-+0.58 |
|
Māori |
|
172 |
0.52 |
-0.26 |
|
Legalise Cannabis |
|
135 |
0.41 |
+0.12 |
|
United Future |
|
114 |
0.35 |
-0.32 |
|
Libertarianz |
|
29 |
0.09 |
+0.04 |
|
Alliance |
|
21 |
0.06 |
+0.01 |
|
Democrats |
|
5 |
0.02 |
-0.005 |
Informal votes |
969 |
|
|
272 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
31,622 |
|
|
32,999 |
|
|
|
Labour hold |
Majority |
10,021 |
31.69 |
+1.24 |
|
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 45,208[16]
2008 election
General election, 2008: Mount Albert[17] |
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Y Helen Clark |
20,157 |
59.29 |
-7.26 |
14,894 |
42.60 |
-11.73 |
|
National |
Ravi Musuku |
9,806 |
28.84 |
+9.21 |
12,468 |
35.66 |
+9.31 |
|
Green |
Jon Carapiet |
2,019 |
5.94 |
+1.22 |
3,846 |
11.00 |
+1.73 |
|
ACT |
Kathleen McCabe |
1,392 |
4.09 |
+1.72 |
1,227 |
3.51 |
+1.49 |
|
Kiwi |
Christian Dawson |
249 |
0.73 |
|
157 |
0.45 |
|
|
Pacific |
Milo Siilata |
234 |
0.69 |
|
273 |
0.78 |
|
|
Human Rights |
Anthony van den Heuvel |
87 |
0.26 |
|
|
|
RONZ |
Dave Llewell |
53 |
0.16 |
+0.16 |
16 |
0.05 |
+0.03 |
|
NZ First |
|
936 |
2.68 |
-0.70 |
|
Māori |
|
273 |
0.78 |
-0.26 |
|
Progressive |
|
244 |
0.70 |
|
|
United Future |
|
232 |
0.66 |
|
|
Bill and Ben |
|
132 |
0.38 |
|
|
Legalise Cannabis |
|
101 |
0.29 |
|
|
Family Party |
|
92 |
0.26 |
|
|
Alliance |
|
19 |
0.05 |
|
|
RAM |
|
19 |
0.05 |
|
|
Libertarianz |
|
16 |
0.05 |
|
|
Workers Party |
|
11 |
0.03 |
|
|
Democrats |
|
7 |
0.02 |
|
Informal votes |
410 |
|
|
256 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
33,997 |
|
|
34,963 |
|
|
|
Labour hold |
Majority |
10,351 |
|
|
|
2005 election
General election, 2005: Mount Albert[18] |
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Y Helen Clark |
20,918 |
66.55 |
-1.94 |
17,501 |
54.33 |
+2.53 |
|
National |
Ravi Musuku |
6,169 |
19.63 |
|
8,488 |
26.35 |
+13.33 |
|
Green |
Jon Carapiet |
1,485 |
4.72 |
-0.67 |
2,985 |
9.27 |
-1.35 |
|
NZ First |
Julian Batchelor |
746 |
2.37 |
|
1,089 |
3.38 |
-3.01 |
|
ACT |
David Seymour |
746 |
2.37 |
|
651 |
2.02 |
-5.09 |
|
United Future |
Tony Gordon |
529 |
1.68 |
|
649 |
2.01 |
-3.28 |
|
Progressive |
Jenny Wilson |
407 |
1.29 |
|
525 |
1.59 |
-0.10 |
|
Destiny |
Anne Williamson |
337 |
1.07 |
|
157 |
0.49 |
|
|
Independent |
James Bagnall |
83 |
0.26 |
|
|
|
Anti-Capitalist |
Daphna Whitmore |
79 |
0.25 |
-0.15 |
|
|
Independent |
Anthony Ravlich |
47 |
0.15 |
|
|
|
Direct Democracy |
Howard Ponga |
30 |
0.10 |
|
10 |
0.03 |
|
|
Independent |
Erik Taylor |
29 |
0.09 |
|
|
|
Māori |
|
168 |
0.52 |
|
|
Legalise Cannabis |
|
43 |
0.13 |
-0.40 |
|
Christian Heritage |
|
40 |
0.12 |
-0.89 |
|
Alliance |
|
22 |
0.07 |
-1.69 |
|
Family Rights |
|
20 |
0.06 |
|
|
Libertarianz |
|
19 |
0.06 |
|
|
RONZ |
|
8 |
0.02 |
|
|
99 MP |
|
6 |
0.02 |
|
|
Democrats |
|
3 |
0.01 |
|
|
One NZ |
|
0 |
0.00 |
-0.01 |
Informal votes |
316 |
|
|
130 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
31,747 |
|
|
32,342 |
|
|
|
Labour hold |
Majority |
14,749 |
|
|
|
2002 election
General election, 2002: Mount Albert[19] |
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Y Helen Clark |
19,514 |
68.49 |
|
15,021 |
51.80 |
|
|
National |
Raewyn Bhana |
3,490 |
12.24 |
|
3,777 |
13.02 |
|
|
ACT |
Bruce Williams |
1,550 |
5.44 |
|
2,063 |
7.11 |
|
|
Green |
Jon Carapiet |
1,537 |
5.39 |
|
3,080 |
10.62 |
|
|
United Future |
Hassan Hosseini |
726 |
2.54 |
|
1,534 |
5.29 |
|
|
Christian Heritage |
Pauline G Cooper |
426 |
1.49 |
|
295 |
1.01 |
|
|
Alliance |
Jill Ovens |
334 |
1.17 |
|
494 |
1.70 |
|
|
Progressive |
Gillian Dance |
299 |
1.04 |
|
491 |
1.69 |
|
|
Legalise Cannabis |
Daphna Whitmore |
116 |
0.40 |
|
115 |
0.53 |
|
|
Independent |
Rick Stevenson |
52 |
0.18 |
|
|
|
NZ First |
|
1,855 |
6.39 |
|
|
ORNZ |
|
98 |
0.33 |
|
|
Mana Māori |
|
6 |
0.02 |
|
|
One NZ |
|
4 |
0.01 |
|
|
NMP |
|
4 |
0.01 |
|
Informal votes |
447 |
|
|
160 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
28,491 |
|
|
28,997 |
|
|
|
Labour hold |
Majority |
16,024 |
56.24 |
|
|
1999 election
General election, 1999: Mount Albert[20][21] |
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
Party votes |
% |
±% |
|
Labour |
Helen Clark |
18,982 |
64.37 |
|
15,327 |
51.37 |
|
|
National |
Noelene Buckland |
5,874 |
19.92 |
|
6,823 |
22.87 |
|
|
Alliance |
Jill Ovens |
1,139 |
3.86 |
|
2,146 |
7.19 |
|
|
ACT |
Daniel King |
1,062 |
3.60 |
|
1,776 |
5.95 |
|
|
Green |
Mike Johnson |
1,032 |
3.50 |
|
1,675 |
5.61 |
|
|
Christian Heritage |
Diane Taylor |
658 |
2.23 |
|
542 |
1.82 |
|
|
NZ First |
Seini Mafi |
403 |
1.37 |
|
694 |
2.33 |
|
|
McGillicuddy Serious |
Kerry Hoole |
193 |
0.65 |
|
29 |
0.65 |
|
|
United NZ |
Hassan Hosseini |
124 |
0.42 |
|
186 |
0.62 |
|
|
Republican |
Jane Hotere |
23 |
0.08 |
|
3 |
0.01 |
|
|
Legalise Cannabis |
|
186 |
0.62 |
|
|
Libertarianz |
|
58 |
0.19 |
|
|
Animals First |
|
46 |
0.15 |
|
|
Mauri Pacific |
|
14 |
0.05 |
|
|
Natural Law |
|
12 |
0.04 |
|
|
One NZ |
|
9 |
0.03 |
|
|
Mana Māori |
|
7 |
0.02 |
|
|
South Island |
|
6 |
0.02 |
|
|
NMP |
|
3 |
0.01 |
|
|
People's Choice |
|
1 |
0.003 |
|
Informal votes |
656 |
|
|
309 |
|
|
Total Valid votes |
29,490 |
|
|
29,837 |
|
|
|
Labour win new seat |
Majority |
13,108 |
44.45 |
|
- ↑ 2014 Internet Mana swing is relative to the votes for Mana in 2011; it shared a party list with Internet in the 2014 election.
References
- McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
External links
« historical electorates « Current electorates of New Zealand |
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