Kaimai is a former New Zealand parliamentary

electorate Electorate may refer to: * The people who are eligible to vote in an election, especially their number e.g. the term ''size of (the) electorate'' * The dominion of a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806 * An electoral district An ...

, from 1978 to 1996. In 1996 the MP Robert Anderson was selected for the new seat of Coromandel, but retired due to illness, and was replaced by

Murray McLean Murray Kaid McLean (born 1949) is a New Zealand politician. He was a National Party Member of Parliament from 1996 to 1999 and councillor at Thames-Coromandel District Council from 2010 to 2022. Biography McLean was born in 1949. He was an ...

, who won the new seat.

Population centres

The 1977 electoral redistribution was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established through an amendment to the ''Representation Act'' in 1886, initiated by

Muldoon Muldoon ( ga, Ó Maoldúin) is an Irish family name. It is represented throughout the world where descendants of emigrants of people bearing that name have settled; e.g. U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries. ''M ...

National Government A national government is the government of a nation. National government or National Government may also refer to: * Central government in a unitary state, or a country that does not give significant power to regional divisions * Federal governme ...

. As part of the 1976 census, a large number of people failed to fill out an electoral re-registration card, and census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed. This had little practical effect for people on the general roll, but it transferred

Māori 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 C ...

to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, this resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, and 22 electorates were abolished, while 27 electorates were newly created (including Kaimai) or re-established. These changes came into effect for the . The Kaimai was established by incorporating some suburbs that had belonged to the electorate, getting the southern part of the abolished electorate, and gaining

Te Puke Te Puke is a town located 18 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well-known for the cultivation of Kiwifruit. Te Puke is close to Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, and Maketu, whi ...

from the abolished electorate. Other than Te Puke, population centres of the original electorate included Mount Maunganui, Katikati, Welcome Bay,

Maungatapu Maungatapu is a mountain in New Zealand located on the border of the Nelson, New Zealand and Marlborough Regions. It lies in the Bryant Range. The mountain is 1014 metres high. ''Maungatapu'' is Māori for "sacred mountain". The mountain was t ...

, Papamoa, and Waihi Beach. As a result of electoral redistribution prior to the , the Kaimai electorate was abolished and its area split between the , , and electorates.

History

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

's Bruce Townshend was the Kaimai electorate's representative from its creation in 1978 to his death on 25 April 1987. Whilst general elections have since the traditionally been held on the last Saturday in November and a by-election is required if the death of an MP occurs more than six months prior to an election, the 1987 was held in August and no by-election was triggered; the earlier election date was a result of

's July 1984 snap election. Robert Anderson replaced Townshend at the 1987 election. Anderson had been selected as National candidate for the Coromandel electorate in 1996, but withdrew due to cancer.

Members of Parliament

Key

Election results

1993 election

1990 election

1987 election

1984 election

1981 election

1978 election

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaimai (New Zealand Electorate) Historical electorates of New Zealand Thames-Coromandel District 1978 establishments in New Zealand 1996 disestablishments in New Zealand