Selwyn (New Zealand electorate)

An electorate called Selwyn existed between 1866 and 1919. A Selwyn electorate also existed between 1946 and 1972 and again from 1978 until it was absorbed by Rakaia for the first MMP election in 1996.[1] The latest version of the Selwyn electorate was created for the 2008 election. This followed a review of electoral boundaries conducted after the 2006 Census, because of a general northwards population movement in the South Island. Even though the number of South Island electorates is fixed, the decline in the population of electorates from Rakaia south has resulted in the boundaries of electorates from Invercargill north to Rakaia shifting further northwards.

Due to the rapid growth of Selwyn relative to Christchurch (which lost population after the earthquakes), the 2013 redistribution had Selwyn losing Halswell and Westmorland to Port Hills and Harewood to Waimakariri while regaining the towns of Rakaia and Chertsey back from Rangitata.[2] Data from the 2018 census showed Selywn's population had continued to grow – it had the largest discrepancy of any electorate – and so the electorate would need to lose further area for the 2020 boundaries.[3] It shed an area around Hornby South to Wigram, the Banks Peninsula to the recreated Banks Peninsula, the area west of the Rakaia to Rangitata, and an area around Christchurch Airport to Ilam.[4]

The dominant topic for the 1875 election was the abolition of the Provinces. William Reeves, the incumbent, favoured the retention of the provincial system of government, while his opponent, Cecil Fitzroy, was an abolitionist. Fitzroy, who was 31 years old and 20 years Reeves' junior, narrowly won the election.[5][6] Edward Lee acted as returning officer for the election.[7]

In the 1879 election, John Hall was returned unopposed.[8] In the 1881 election, Hall beat R. Lockhead by 467 to 169 votes.[9][10]

In the 1890 election, Alfred Saunders, Thomas Hamilton Anson, and William Jerrington Popple received 536, 485 and 237 votes, respectively.[11]

The electorate is one of the National Party's safest seats. National have held the seat, whenever it has existed since it was first recreated in 1946. The incumbent MP is Amy Adams, who has received between 60% and 70% of the electorate vote in the four elections since its latest recreation in 2008. In 2011, the candidate for the other major New Zealand party, Labour, received less than 11% of the electoral vote and came third, behind the Greens in the 2011 election. In that election, the only polling booths where Adams didn't receive the most votes were Arthur's Pass and Diamond Harbour.

Key:

  Independent     Conservative     Reform     Liberal     National     Green  

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

2011 general election: Selwyn[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	%	±%
	National	Y Amy Adams		24,963	69.14	+8.65	23,086	62.65	+7.74
	Labour	Jo McLean		5,512	15.27	-14.54	5,942	16.12	-9.49
	Green	Eugenie Sage		3,674	10.18	+10.18	4,215	11.44	+3.91
	NZ First	Bill Woods		1,277	3.54	+3.54	1,750	4.75	+1.71
	Conservative	Wilton Gray		677	1.88	+1.88	906	2.46	+2.46
	ACT						336	0.91	-2.77
	United Future						256	0.69	-0.45
	Māori						137	0.37	-0.04
	Legalise Cannabis						123	0.33	+0.07
	Mana						52	0.14	+0.14
	Alliance						24	0.07	+0.02
	Democrats						13	0.04	+0.02
	Libertarianz						11	0.03	+0.01
Informal votes				526			192
Total Valid votes				36,103			36,851
	National hold		Majority	19,451	53.88	+23.20

Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 46,937[15]

A by-election was held following the resignation of Ruth Richardson.[17]