Timaru (New Zealand electorate)

Timaru was a parliamentary electorate, in New Zealand's South Island. It existed continuously from 1861 to 1996 and was represented by eleven Members of Parliament.

Population centres

In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of representatives by 12, reflecting the immense population growth since the original electorates were established in 1853. The redistribution created 15 additional electorates with between one and three members, and Timaru was one of the single-member electorates.[1] The electorates were distributed to provinces so that every province had at least two members. Within each province, the number of registered electors by electorate varied greatly.[1] The Timaru electorate had 121 registered electors for the 1861 election.[2]

The electorate is partly urban, and is based on the South Canterbury city of Timaru.

History

The electorate was formed in 1861 for the 3rd Parliament and existed continuously until the 1996 election.[3]

Francis Jollie was the first representative. In the 1866 election, he successfully stood for Gladstone. Alfred Cox was the next representative. At the nomination meeting, Nathan Fisher was put forward as a candidate but he declined to stand, and Cox was declared elected unopposed.[4] Cox resigned in 1868 partway through the term. Edward Stafford won the resulting 1868 by-election. He represented the electorate for a decade and resigned in 1878.

Richard Turnbull won the 1878 by-election and represented Timaru until 1890, when he died on 17 July.[5] He had contested the 1887 election against Edward George Kerr,[6] the proprietor of The Timaru Herald,[7] and had won with a comfortable majority.[8]

William Hall-Jones won the 1890 by-election. He became Prime Minister during his term, and retired in 1908.

James Craigie was the next representative, from the 1908 election. He retired in 1922. Craigie was succeeded by Frank Rolleston, who was defeated at the 1928 election.[9]

From 1928 to 1985, the seat was held by two Labour MPs: Rev Clyde Carr a Christian minister who was a supporter of John A. Lee and remained a backbencher; and then Sir Basil Arthur a hereditary baronet and later Speaker of the House.

David Lange recalled in My Life (2005) the death of Sir Basil, and also that Labour lost the subsequent 1985 by-election when "the Labour Party organisation insisted on the selection of a candidate who could hardly be less suited to the place" and "was a good lawyer but she did not live in Timaru, and her opinions, and even her appearance, were at odds with the conservative character of the electorate." Jim Sutton won the seat back for Labour in 1993.

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent     Independent Liberal     Liberal     Reform     Labour     National  

Election	Winner
1861 election		Francis Jollie
1866 election		Alfred Cox
1868 by-election		Edward Stafford
1871 election
1875 election
1878 by-election		Richard Turnbull
1879 election
1881 election
1884 election
1887 election
1890 by-election		William Hall-Jones
1890 election
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election		James Craigie
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election		Frank Rolleston
1925 election
1928 election		Clyde Carr
1931 election
1935 election
1938 election
1943 election
1946 election
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1962 by-election		Sir Basil Arthur
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election
1972 election
1975 election
1978 election
1981 election
1984 election
1985 by-election		Maurice McTigue
1987 election
1990 election
1993 election		Jim Sutton
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Aoraki)

Election results

1993 election

1993 general election: Timaru[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Sutton	10,153	46.96
	National	Maurice McTigue	7,213	33.36	-18.02
	Alliance	Peter Binns	2,533	11.71	+3.18
	NZ First	Jenny Bloxham	1,459	6.74
	Christian Heritage	S Brodie	200	0.92
	Natural Law	S Sole	59	0.27
Majority			2,940	13.60
Turnout			21,617	86.80	+0.19
Registered electors			24,902

1990 election

1990 general election: Timaru[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Maurice McTigue	10,471	51.38	+0.77
	Labour	Gary Clarke	7,279	35.72	-10.90
	Green	Peter Binns	1,739	8.53
	NewLabour	Eveline Glanville	674	3.30
	Democrats	David Wood	213	1.04
Majority			3,192	15.66	+11.67
Turnout			20,376	86.61	-4.47
Registered electors			23,526

1987 election

1987 general election: Timaru[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Maurice McTigue	10,870	50.61	+7.94
	Labour	Gary Clarke	10,013	46.62
	Democrats	Lynley Simmons	488	2.27	-5.14
	Independent	S R Lusby	53	0.24
	NZ Party	J M Simpson	53	0.24
Majority			857	3.99	-2.80
Turnout			21,477	91.08	+1.09
Registered electors			23,580

1985 by-election

1985 Timaru by-election[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Maurice McTigue	9,371	42.67	+4.22
	Labour	Jan Walker	7,879	35.88
	NZ Party	Bill Greenslade	2,998	13.65
	Social Credit	Lynley Simmons	1,628	7.41	+2.10
	Values	J S B Luck	54	0.25
	Independent Labour	Alan Falloon	31	0.14
Majority			1,492	6.79
Informal votes			66	0.29
Turnout			22,027	89.99	-3.19
Registered electors			24,476
	National gain from Labour		Swing

1984 election

1984 general election: Timaru[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	11,033	48.13	+3.96
	National	Maurice McTigue	8,814	38.45
	NZ Party	Christine Musgrave	1,855	8.09
	Social Credit	Lynley Simmons	1,217	5.31	-14.06
Majority			2,224	9.70	+0.78
Turnout			22,919	93.18	+3.16
Registered electors			24,594

1981 election

1981 general election: Timaru[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	9,281	44.77	-3.98
	National	Jane Coughlan	7,431	35.85
	Social Credit	Lynley Simmons	4,015	19.37
Majority			1,850	8.92	-1.74
Turnout			20,727	90.02	+11.73
Registered electors			23,024

1978 election

1978 general election: Timaru[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	9,977	48.75	+1.27
	National	Bill Penno	7,794	38.08
	Social Credit	E H Rapsey	2,180	10.65
	Values	L A Durland	512	2.50
Majority			2,183	10.66	+5.22
Turnout			20,463	78.29	-5.80
Registered electors			26,135

1975 election

1975 general election: Timaru[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	8,815	47.48	-10.77
	National	Dave Walker	7,804	42.04	+7.39
	Social Credit	E H Rapsey	1,140	6.14
	Values	Mary Mold	803	4.32
Majority			1,011	5.44	-18.16
Turnout			18,562	84.09	-6.10
Registered electors			22,072

1972 election

1972 general election: Timaru[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	9,760	58.25	+2.24
	National	Dave Walker	5,806	34.65	+2.90
	Social Credit	J H L Body	599	3.57
	Values	P D Lister	403	2.40
	New Democratic	D W Armstrong	186	1.11
Majority			3,954	23.60	+5.15
Turnout			16,754	90.19	+0.01
Registered electors			18,575

1969 election

1969 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	9,412	56.01	+0.95
	National	Dave Walker	6,311	37.55
	Social Credit	Maurice Hayes	1,084	6.44	-2.58
Majority			3,101	18.45	-0.71
Turnout			16,807	90.18	+1.46
Registered electors			18,636

1966 election

1966 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	8,929	55.06	-1.28
	National	N S Brown	5,821	35.90
	Social Credit	Maurice Hayes	1,464	9.02	+4.62
Majority			3,108	19.16	+2.08
Turnout			16,214	88.72	-2.83
Registered electors			18,274

1963 election

1963 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	9,334	56.34	+3.79
	National	M J O'Rielly	6,503	39.25
	Social Credit	Maurice Hayes	729	4.40	+0.43
Majority			2,831	17.08	+8.02
Turnout			16,566	91.55	+7.76
Registered electors			18,094

1962 by-election

1962 Timaru by-election[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir Basil Arthur	7,578	52.55
	National	Derek Quigley	6,271	43.49
	Social Credit	Maurice Hayes	572	3.97
Majority			1,307	9.06
Informal votes			34	0.24
Turnout			14,455	83.79	-7.62
Registered electors			17,252
	Labour hold		Swing

1960 election

1960 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	7,617	49.11	-4.60
	National	R E White	7,260	46.81
	Social Credit	Fairlie C. Isitt	542	3.49	-0.11
	Independent	J R Rae	90	0.58
Majority			357	2.30	-16.63
Turnout			15,509	91.41	-2.94
Registered electors			16,966

1957 election

1957 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	8,379	53.71	+8.85
	National	Alfred James Davey	6,657	42.67
	Social Credit	Fairlie C. Isitt	562	3.60
Majority			2,954	18.93	+8.71
Turnout			15,598	94.35	+0.89
Registered electors			16,532

1954 election

1954 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	6,241	44.86	-7.16
	National	Vic Wilson	4,818	34.63
	Social Credit	George Edmonds	2,853	20.50
Majority			1,423	10.22	+6.19
Turnout			13,912	93.46	+1.78
Registered electors			14,884

1951 election

1951 general election: Timaru[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	7,265	52.02	-0.97
	National	William Leslie Richards	6,701	47.98
Majority			564	4.03	-1.95
Turnout			13,966	91.68	-3.31
Registered electors			15,233

1949 election

1949 general election: Timaru[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	7,364	52.99	+1.07
	National	Jack Lockington	6,532	47.01
Majority			832	5.98	+2.13
Turnout			13,896	94.99	-0.01
Registered electors			14,628

1946 election

1946 general election: Timaru[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	7,005	51.92
	National	Jack Acland	6,485	48.07
Majority			520	3.85
Turnout			13,490	95.00
Registered electors			14,200

1931 election

1931 general election: Timaru[16][mb 1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	5,407	48.45	-3.74
	Reform	Herbert N. Armstrong[17]	4,587	41.11
	United	Herbert Hall[17]	1,165	10.44
Majority			820	7.35	+2.95
Informal votes			35	0.31	-1.68
Turnout			11,194	90.31	-1.45
Registered electors			12,395

Table footnotes:

1. The Reform and United parties could not agree on an official coalition candidate for the Timaru electorate, so neither Armstrong nor Hall were official candidates, and many sources show them as Independents

1928 election

1928 general election: Timaru[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clyde Carr	5,547	52.20
	Reform	Frank Rolleston	5,080	47.80
Majority			467	4.39
Informal votes			216	1.99
Turnout			10,843	91.76
Registered electors			11,817

1899 election

1899 general election: Timaru[19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Hall-Jones	3,091	77.68
	Independent Liberal	James Stephen Keith[nb 1]	816	20.51
	Independent Labour	Joseph Mahoney[nb 2]	72	1.81
Majority			2,275	57.18
Turnout			3,979	79.29
Registered electors			5,018

Table footnotes:

1. Note that in many newspapers, Keith is labelled as standing for the opposition
2. Labour candidates at the time were counted as part of the Liberal Party

1890 election

1890 general election: Timaru[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	William Hall-Jones	472	31.78	-22.31
	Independent	Edward George Kerr[7]	420	28.28	-16.62
	Liberal	Jeremiah Twomey	366	24.65
	Conservative	Samuel Frederick Smithson	218	14.68
	Liberal	Philip E Thoreau	9	0.61
Majority			52	3.50	-6.68
Turnout			1,485	60.44
Registered electors			2,457

1890 by-election

1890 Timaru by-election[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	William Hall-Jones	422	49.41
	Independent	Edward George Kerr	344	40.28
	Independent Labour	W F Alpin	88	10.30
Majority			78	9.13
Turnout			854

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, p. 35.
2. McRobie 1989, p. 33.
3. Wilson 1985, p. 273.
4. "Timaru election". Timaru Herald. IV (93). 23 February 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
5. Wilson 1985, p. 241.
6. "The Nominations". Ashburton Guardian. VII (1667). 20 September 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
7. "History of The Timaru Herald". The Timaru Herald. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
8. "General Election". Poverty Bay Herald. XIV (4977). 27 September 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
9. Rolleston 1971, p. 131.
10. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993. p. 115.
11. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. pp. 119–20.
12. Norton 1988, p. 363.
13. Norton 1988, p. 362.
14. "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
15. "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
16. The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
17. Kerr, Stephen (2003). "Good Old Clyde": Clyde Carr M.P., Timaru and the Art of Incumbency, 1928–1962 (PDF) (Thesis). University of Canterbury. p. 66. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
18. Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
19. "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
20. "The General Election". The Daily Telegraph (9729). 30 November 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
21. "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
22. "Timaru election". Waikato Times. XXXV (2825). 21 August 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
23. "The Timaru Seat". The Star (6929). 12 August 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 14 April 2017.

References

• Hall-Jones, Frederick G. (1969), Sir William Hall-Jones, the Last of the Old Liberals, Invercargill: Hall-Jones and Sons
• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
• Rolleston, Rosamund (1971). William & Mary Rolleston : An informal biography. Reed Publishing. ISBN 0-589-00621-5.
• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.