Manukau (New Zealand electorate)

Manukau is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the south Auckland Region. It existed from 1881 to 1978, with a break from 1938 to 1954. It was represented by nine Members of Parliament. Two by-elections were held in the electorate.

Population centres

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–76 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 Manukau, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.

The First Labour Government was defeated in the 1949 election and the incoming National Government changed the Electoral Act, with the electoral quota once again based on total population as opposed to qualified electors, and the tolerance was increased to 7.5% of the electoral quota. There was no adjustments in the number of electorates between the South and North Islands, but the law changes resulted in boundary adjustments to almost every electorate through the 1952 electoral redistribution; only five electorates were unaltered. Five electorates were reconstituted (including Manukau) and one was newly created, and a corresponding six electorates were abolished; all of these in the North Island. These changes took effect with the 1954 election.

The electorate was in the southern section of greater Auckland, and was centred on Manukau.

History

The electorate existed from 1881 to 1938 and then from 1954 to 1978. It was represented by nine Members of Parliament.

Matthew Kirkbride was elected to the Manukau electorate in the 1902 general election, and held the electorate until he died in 1906. His death caused the 6 December 1906 Manukau by-election, which was won by Frederic Lang.

William Joseph Jordan was first elected in the 1922 general election and was confirmed in the next four elections. When the Labour Party won the 1935 general election and formed the First Labour Government of New Zealand, Jordan expected a cabinet position. Instead, he was appointed to the post of New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, which had until that point been traditionally a retirement post for former cabinet ministers. His resignation from Parliament caused the 30 September 1936 Manukau by-election, which was won by Arthur Osborne.

Members of Parliament

Key   Independent     Liberal     Reform     Labour     National  

Election	Winner
1881 election		Maurice O'Rorke
1884 election
1887 election
1890 election		William Buckland
1893 election		Maurice O'Rorke
1896 election
1896 election
1902 election		Matthew Kirkbride
1905 election
1906 by-election		Frederic Lang
1908 election
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election		William Jordan
1925 election
1928 election
1931 election
1935 election
1936 by-election		Arthur Osborne
(Electorate abolished 1938–1954)
1954 election		Leon Götz
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election		Colin Moyle
1966 election
1969 election		Roger Douglas
1972 election
1975 election
(Electorate abolished 1978)

Election results

1931 election

General election, 1931: Manukau

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Joseph Jordan	7,401	64.88
	Reform	Stanley Rickards	4,007	35.12
Majority			3,394	29.75
Informal votes			48	0.42
Turnout			11,456	76.75
Registered electors			14,927

1899 election

General election, 1899: Manukau

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Maurice O'Rorke	1,967	50.28
	Independent	John Edward Taylor	936	23.93
	Opposition	Frank Buckland	516	13.19
	Opposition	Francis Hull	493	12.60
Majority			1,031	26.35
Informal votes			38	0.96
Turnout			3,950	74.00
Registered electors			5,338