Petone (New Zealand electorate)

Petone is a former parliamentary electorate in the lower Hutt Valley of New Zealand, from 1946 to 1978. The electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament from the Labour Party.

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 Petone.[1] The electorate was based on the southern part of the city of Lower Hutt. Settlements within the electorate included the suburb of Petone, Wainuiomata, and Eastbourne.[2]

The Petone electorate was abolished through the 1977 electoral redistribution.[3] Most of its area went to the Pencarrow electorate, while some area, including the suburb of Petone, transferred to the Western Hutt electorate.

History

The Petone electorate was first used for the 1946 election. Its first representative was Michael Moohan of the Labour Party, who was Minister of Railways from 1957 to 1960 while serving the electorate. Moohan died in office on 7 February 1967.[4]

This caused the 1967 by-election, which was won by Fraser Colman. He served until the electorate was abolished in 1978, and moved to the Pencarrow electorate.[5]

Members of Parliament

The Petone electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament.[6]

Key

  Labour  

Election Winner
1946 election Michael Moohan
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election
1966 election
1967 by-election Fraser Colman
1969 election
1972 election
1975 election
(Electorate abolished in 1978;
see Pencarrow and Western Hutt)

Election results

1975 election

General election, 1975: Petone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Fraser Colman 8,333 51.3 -11.8
National B R Gluyas 5,499 33.8
Values Ian Donaldson 1,168 7.2
Social Credit R C Moore 1,155 7.1 +2.4
Liberal J A P Broderick 62 0.4
Socialist Action R S Johnson 31 0.2
Majority 2,834 17.5 -18.6
Turnout 20,069 81.4 -7.3

1972 election

General election, 1972: Petone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Fraser Colman 9,334 63.1 +4.2
National N G Ursin 3,994 27.0
Social Credit R C Moore 698 4.7
Values L B Frost 674 4.6
New Democratic E G M Tyley 90 0.6
Majority 5,340 36.1 -12.2
Turnout 16,756 88.7 -0.3

1969 election

General election, 1969: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Fraser Colman 8,512 58.9 +4.3
National F J Handy 5,064 35.0
Social Credit K H Walker 880 6.1
Majority 3,450 23.9 +0.1
Turnout 16,312 89.0 +21.3

1967 by-election

Petone by-election, 1967[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Fraser Colman 7,086 54.6
National Dick Martin 4,003 30.8
Social Credit Colin James Whitmill 1,888 14.6 +2.5
Majority 3,083 23.8
Turnout 12,977 67.7 -16.7
Registered electors 19,203
Labour hold Swing

1966 election

General election, 1966: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 8,301 52.1 -2.8
National J W Miller 5,694 35.8
Social Credit Colin James Whitmill 1,929 12.1
Majority 2,607 16.3 +1.2
Turnout 18,791 84.4 -4.2

1963 election

General election, 1963: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 8,875 54.9 -1.1
National P M Love 6,427 39.8
Social Credit T F Foulger 688 4.2
Independent C G Stancliff 175 1.1
Majority 2,448 15.1 -3.6
Turnout 18,335 88.6 -1.7

1960 election

General election, 1960: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 8,738 56.0 -5.1
National Dick Martin 5,820 37.3
Social Credit Desmond George Long 1,052 6.7 -1.9
Majority 2,918 18.7 -8.3
Turnout 17,389 90.3 -2.9

1957 election

General election, 1957: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 9,401 61.1 -0.1
National Dan Riddiford 5,242 34.1
Social Credit Desmond George Long 737 4.8
Majority 4,159 27.0 -2.2
Turnout 16,571 93.2 +6.1

1954 election

General election, 1954: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 8,831 61.2 +2.9
National Fanny Elizabeth Soward 4,620 32.0
Social Credit Robert Leslie Allan 859 6.0
Communist Connie Birchfield 120 0.8
Majority 4,211 29.2 +12.6
Turnout 16,702 87.1 -1.6

1951 election

General election, 1951: Petone[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 7,502 58.3 -0.5
National Norm Croft 5,367 41.7 +2.1
Majority 2,135 16.6 -2.6
Turnout 14,590 88.7 -4.2

1949 election

General election, 1949: Petone[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 7,721 58.8 -6.6
National Norm Croft 5,194 39.6
Communist Arthur Philip Quinn 207 1.6
Majority 2,527 19.2 -11.6
Turnout 14,196 92.9 ±0.0

1946 election

General election, 1946: Petone[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Michael Moohan 8,545 65.4
National G London 4,526 34.6
Majority 4,019 30.8
Turnout 14,185 92.9

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 94.
  3. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 115, 119.
  4. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 221.
  5. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 190.
  6. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 270.
  7. 1 2 Norton 1988, p. 318.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Norton 1988, p. 317.
  9. ↑ "The New Zealand Official Year-Book, 1951–52". Statistics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.

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.
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