Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is a New Zealand parliamentary

Māori electorate Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

that was formed for the . It covers the eastern North Island from

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is at the northern end of the Gisborne District of the North Island. East Cape was originally named "Cape East" by British explorer James Cook during his 1769–1779 voy ...

south through Hawke's Bay and the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

Wainuiomata Wainuiomata () is a large Commuter town, dormitory suburb of Lower Hutt, in the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area in New Zealand. Its population was estimated as being as of with a density of 1,600 people ...

and most of the

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...

, but not southern

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

Wellington City Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

. It was held by Parekura Horomia of the Labour Party from 1999 until his death in 2013. A

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to replace him was held on 29 June 2013. Meka Whaitiri held the seat for ten years under the Labour Party before changing political allegiances. Whaitiri left the Labour Party in early May 2023 and joined

Te Pāti Māori (), also known as the Māori Party, is a left-wing political party in New Zealand advocating Māori people, Māori rights. With the exception of a handful of New Zealand electorates#Electorates in the 53rd Parliament, general electorates, co ...

. According to a ruling by the speaker of the House, Whaitiri continued to represent the electorate, not on behalf of a party, but as an independent. Labour's Cushla Tangaere-Manuel became MP in 2023.

Population centres

As the electorate's name suggests (''ika'' "fish", ''roa'' "long", ''rāwhiti'' "east"), Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is a long electorate covering the eastern

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

(''Te Ika-a-Māui''). The electorate includes the following population centres (from north to south): * Gisborne * Wairoa * Napier *

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

* Central Hawke's Bay *

Tararua District The Tararua District is a Districts of New Zealand, district near the south-east corner of New Zealand's North Island that is administered by the Tararua District Council. It has a population of and an area of 4,364.62 km². The district' ...

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

and the Wairarapa district *

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

–

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. History Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...

and

—northern suburbs (north of Fairway Drive and Daysh Street), western hills (excluding Korokoro), and

In the 2013/14 redistribution, a minor boundary adjustment was undertaken. A small area, including the village of Tuai, was transferred to the electorate.

Tribal areas

The electorate includes the following tribal areas: *

Ngāti Porou Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. It has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi, behind Ngāpuhi, with an estimated 102,480 people according to the ...

– Potikirua ki Te Toka-a-Taiau (Gisborne) *

Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki is one of the three principal Māori people, Māori iwi of the Gisborne District, Tūranga district; the others being Rongowhakaata and Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngai Tamanuhiri. It is numerically the largest of the three, with 6, ...

– Gisborne and

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay (Māori language, Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa''), officially named Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay, is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for ...

* Rongowhakaata – Poverty Bay * Ngāi Tāmanuhiri – Poverty Bay *

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi (tribe) located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The Kahungunu iwi also comprises 86 hapū (sub-tribes ...

– Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, Hastings, Napier and Wairarapa *

Ngāti Toa Ngāti Toa, also called Ngāti Toarangatira or Ngāti Toa Rangatira, is a Māori people, Māori ''iwi'' (tribe) based in the southern North Island and the northern South Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Toa remains a small iwi with a population of ...

– Hutt Valley, and northern Lower Hutt

History

The electorate was formed for the , which was won by Parekura Horomia of the Labour Party. Horomia's death on 29 April 2013 triggered a by-election, which was held on 29 June and won by Labour's Meka Whaitiri. The

Māori Party Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

had nominated tribal leader Na Rongowhakaata Raihania. and the Mana Party had selected television presenter Te Hamua Nikora as its candidate. The

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

had selected environmentalist and human rights advocate Marama Davidson. Further candidates had been Michael Appleby for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party plus two independent candidates. Based on preliminary results, Whaitiri more than tripled her night majority over Mana's Nikora. Also based on preliminary results, Marama Fox of the

was elected to Parliament as a list MP.

Members of Parliament

Key

List MPs

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

Election results

2023 election

2020 election

2017 election

2014 election

2013 by-election

2011 election

Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 32,951

2008 election

2005 election

1999 election

Notes

References

External links

Electorate profile
New Zealand Parliament {{DEFAULTSORT:Ikaroa-Rawhiti Māori electorates 1999 establishments in New Zealand