St Albans (New Zealand electorate)
St Albans was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890, then from 1946 to 1996.
Population centres
The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European population had increased by 65%. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of European representatives to 91 (up from 84 since the 1875–76 election). The number of Māori electorates was held at four. The House further decided that electorates should not have more than one representative, which led to 35 new electorates being formed, including St Albans, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.[1]
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, 19 electorates were created for the first time, and eight former electorates were re-established, including St Albans.[2]
The electorate was centred on the Christchurch suburb of St Albans.
History
The electorate was first created for the 1881 general election, held on 9 December.[3]
John Evans Brown contested the electorate with J. L. Wilson and A. W. O'Neill. They received 218, 168 and 85 votes, respectively. Brown was declared elected.[4] Brown did not stand for re-election in the 1884 general election.[5]
In 1884 general election, held on 22 July, Francis James Garrick successfully stood for the electorate against two other candidates and obtained a comfortable victory, gaining 396 out of 477 votes.[6] Garrick stood again in the electorate in the 1887 general election, against William Pember Reeves. At the election on 26 September, Reeves and Garrick received 802 and 634 votes, respectively. With a majority of 164 votes, Reeves was the successful candidate.[7][8] The electorate was abolished at the end of the parliamentary term in 1890 and Reeves successfully contested the Christchurch electorate.
The electorate was recreated in 1946.[9] Jack Watts from the National Party was the representative from 1946 to 1957, when he successfully contested the Fendalton electorate. St Albans went to Neville Pickering of the Labour Party, who lost the electorate at the next election in 1960 to National's Bert Walker. Walker represented St Albans until 1969, when he successfully contested the Papanui electorate.
St Albans was won by Labour's Roger Drayton in the 1969 general election. He retired after three terms, and the 1978 general election was won by Labour's David Caygill, who held the electorate until it was abolished in 1996.
Members of Parliament
The electorate was represented by eight Members of Parliament:[9]
Key
Election | Winner | |
---|---|---|
1881 election | John Brown | |
1884 election | Francis Garrick | |
1887 election | William Reeves | |
(electorate abolished 1890-1946) | ||
1946 election | Jack Watts | |
1949 election | ||
1951 election | ||
1954 election | ||
1957 election | Neville Pickering | |
1960 election | Bert Walker | |
1963 election | ||
1966 election | ||
1969 election | Roger Drayton | |
1972 election | ||
1975 election | ||
1978 election | David Caygill | |
1981 election | ||
1984 election | ||
1987 election | ||
1990 election | ||
1993 election | ||
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Christchurch Central) |
Election results
1993 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Caygill | 10,022 | 46.43 | -0.92 | |
National | Raewyn Dawson | 6,597 | 30.56 | ||
Alliance | Mike Newlove | 3,423 | 15.85 | +5.77 | |
NZ First | Peter Gordon | 949 | 4.39 | ||
Christian Heritage | Mary Lovell | 481 | 2.22 | ||
Natural Law | Joe Pickering | 88 | 0.40 | ||
Independent | Bill Bunting | 25 | 0.11 | ||
Majority | 3,425 | 15.86 | +8.47 | ||
Turnout | 21,585 | 85.44 | +0.91 | ||
Registered electors | 25,261 |
1990 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Caygill | 9,990 | 47.35 | -11.05 | |
National | David Dumergue | 8,430 | 39.96 | ||
NewLabour | Mike Newlove | 2,127 | 10.08 | ||
Democrats | John McCaskey | 310 | 1.46 | ||
McGillicuddy Serious | Michael Vercoe | 209 | 0.99 | ||
Communist League | Kerry Moyst | 28 | 0.13 | ||
Majority | 1,560 | 7.39 | -14.33 | ||
Turnout | 21,094 | 84.53 | -3.09 | ||
Registered electors | 24,954 |
1987 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Caygill | 12,166 | 58.40 | +2.55 | |
National | Andrew Cowie | 7,641 | 36.68 | ||
Democrats | Bill Morgan | 593 | 2.84 | ||
Socialist Action | Geoff Pearce | 181 | 0.86 | ||
Wizard Party | Suzanne Sadler | 129 | 0.61 | ||
Values | Phil McAnally | 121 | 0.58 | ||
Majority | 4,525 | 21.72 | -6.52 | ||
Turnout | 20,831 | 87.62 | -4.57 | ||
Registered electors | 23,773 |
1984 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Caygill | 12,208 | 55.85 | +0.82 | |
National | Ian Wilson | 6,036 | 27.61 | ||
NZ Party | Maurice Kattell | 2,621 | 11.99 | ||
Social Credit | Quinton Manson | 990 | 4.52 | -8.94 | |
Majority | 6,172 | 28.24 | +4.72 | ||
Turnout | 21,855 | 92.19 | +2.81 | ||
Registered electors | 23,704 |
1981 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Caygill | 11,524 | 55.03 | +2.31 | |
National | Jim Baker | 6,598 | 31.50 | ||
Social Credit | Quinton Manson | 2,819 | 13.46 | +4.54 | |
Majority | 4,926 | 23.52 | +16.19 | ||
Turnout | 20,941 | 89.38 | +22.42 | ||
Registered electors | 23,428 |
1978 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Caygill | 11,279 | 52.72 | ||
National | Neil Russell | 7,600 | 35.52 | ||
Social Credit | Quinton Manson | 1,909 | 8.92 | +5.44 | |
Values | Conway Jack | 577 | 2.69 | ||
Tory | I D Costello | 28 | 0.13 | ||
Majority | 1,570 | 7.33 | |||
Turnout | 21,393 | 66.96 | -12.93 | ||
Registered electors | 31,946 |
1975 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Roger Drayton | 9,013 | 48.59 | -7.43 | |
National | Prudence Rotherberg | 7,443 | 40.13 | ||
Values | Roger Wilson | 1,304 | 7.03 | ||
Social Credit | Quinton Manson | 647 | 3.48 | ||
Independent | R Dawdon | 104 | 0.56 | ||
Imperial British Conservative | A R Flett | 36 | 0.19 | ||
Majority | 1,570 | 8.46 | -8.89 | ||
Turnout | 18,547 | 79.89 | -6.64 | ||
Registered electors | 23,214 |
1972 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Roger Drayton | 9,900 | 56.02 | +6.41 | |
National | R T Doak | 6,834 | 38.67 | ||
Social Credit | Carol Flint | 514 | 2.90 | ||
Values | Bob Overend | 376 | 2.12 | ||
New Democratic | R E Scott | 47 | 0.26 | ||
Majority | 3,066 | 17.35 | +12.00 | ||
Turnout | 17,671 | 86.53 | +2.92 | ||
Registered electors | 20,420 |
1969 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Roger Drayton | 8,415 | 49.61 | ||
National | Ian Wilson | 7,506 | 44.25 | ||
Social Credit | Jim Fountain | 1,041 | 6.13 | ||
Majority | 909 | 5.35 | |||
Turnout | 16,962 | 89.45 | +3.66 | ||
Registered electors | 18,961 |
1966 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Bert Walker | 8,455 | 53.62 | -1.72 | |
Labour | Ted Adcock | 5,880 | 37.29 | ||
Social Credit | Ray McNeil | 1,344 | 8.52 | ||
Keynesian Progress | Mark Sadler | 88 | 0.55 | ||
Majority | 2,575 | 16.33 | +1.33 | ||
Turnout | 15,767 | 85.79 | -5.36 | ||
Registered electors | 18,378 |
1963 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Bert Walker | 9,228 | 55.34 | +6.74 | |
Labour | John Palmer | 6,727 | 40.34 | ||
Social Credit | Carol Flint | 718 | 4.30 | ||
Majority | 2,501 | 15.00 | +13.15 | ||
Turnout | 16,673 | 91.15 | +0.10 | ||
Registered electors | 18,291 |
1960 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Bert Walker | 7,809 | 48.60 | ||
Labour | Neville Pickering | 7,511 | 46.75 | -3.28 | |
Social Credit | G R Lynne | 746 | 4.64 | ||
Majority | 298 | 1.85 | |||
Turnout | 16,066 | 91.25 | -0.70 | ||
Registered electors | 17,605 |
1957 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Neville Pickering | 7,960 | 50.03 | ||
National | Eric Philip Wills | 7,459 | 46.88 | ||
Social Credit | T F Penrose | 759 | 4.77 | ||
Majority | 501 | 3.14 | |||
Turnout | 15,908 | 91.95 | +0.42 | ||
Registered electors | 17,299 |
1954 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Jack Watts | 6,905 | 43.58 | -11.49 | |
Labour | Mick Connelly | 6,297 | 39.75 | ||
Social Credit | S W Ayers | 2,639 | 16.65 | ||
Majority | 608 | 3.83 | -6.32 | ||
Turnout | 15,841 | 92.37 | +2.29 | ||
Registered electors | 17,148 |
1951 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Jack Watts | 7,675 | 55.07 | +0.85 | |
Labour | J B Mora | 6,260 | 44.93 | ||
Majority | 1,415 | 10.15 | +1.71 | ||
Turnout | 13,935 | 90.08 | -3.10 | ||
Registered electors | 15,469 |
1949 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Jack Watts | 7,335 | 54.22 | +3.90 | |
Labour | George Manning | 6,193 | 45.78 | ||
Majority | 1,142 | 8.44 | +7.80 | ||
Turnout | 13,528 | 93.18 | +1.19 | ||
Registered electors | 14,518 |
1946 election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Jack Watts | 6,691 | 50.32 | ||
Labour | Morgan Williams | 6,605 | 49.68 | ||
Majority | 86 | 0.64 | |||
Turnout | 13,296 | 91.99 | |||
Registered electors | 14,453 |
Notes
- McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
- McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
- Scholefield 1950, p. 97.
- "CHRISTCHURCH NORTH". The Star (4255). 10 December 1881. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- "THE NOMINATIONS". The Star (5054). 15 July 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- "St Albans". The Star (5016). 23 July 1884. pp. Page 3. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- Cyclopedia Company Limited, ed. (1903). "Christchurch City And Suburban — Ex-Members of the House of Representatives". Cyclopedia of New Zealand - Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- "St Albans". The Star (6043). 27 September 1887. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- Scholefield 1950, p. 163.
- Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993. p. 101.
- Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. p. 105.
- Norton 1988, p. 343.
- Norton 1988, p. 342.
- "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- "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.
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
- 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.