Omata was a New Zealand electorate. It was located in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

and based on the township of Omata. One of the original 24 electorates, it existed from 1853 to 1870.

Population centres

The Omata electorate was named after Omata in Taranaki, a locality just south-west of

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

. The electorate's boundary was a straight line that started at the coast between Omata and New Plymouth, and it proceeded in a south-east direction to near where

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east ...

is located. Population centres located in the electorate included

Ōpunake Ōpunake is a small town on the southwest coast of Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island. It is located 45 kilometres southwest of New Plymouth. Rahotu is 16 km to the northwest. Manaia is 29 km to the southeast. State Highway ...

, Manaia,

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established i ...

, and

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...

. In the 1870 electoral redistribution, the Omata electorate was abolished. The electorate's area was effectively increased towards the east (the easternmost boundary reached the

Whanganui River The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natura ...

), gaining a large area from the

Grey and Bell Grey and Bell was a Taranaki electorate in the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 to 1881. Population centres The electorate covered the northern, rural part of the Taranaki Province. The localities of Inglewood and Waitara fell within Grey and B ...

electorate, and the name changed to after Mount Egmont, the original European name of

Mount Taranaki Mount Taranaki (), also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The mountain has a secon ...

History

The Omata electorate was one of the twenty-four original electorates, used in New Zealand's first general election. In 1853, William Crompton was returned elected unopposed. In the , Alfred William East beat the incumbent by a six-vote margin. East resigned in March 1860 before the end of his term when he accepted a government appointment. In the resulting by-election on 16 April 1860,

James Crowe Richmond James Crowe Richmond (22 September 1822 – 19 January 1898) was a New Zealand politician, engineer, and an early painter in watercolours of the New Zealand landscape. Early life Richmond was born in London, England, the son of Christopher Ric ...

was returned unopposed.

Members of Parliament

The following Members of Parliament represented the Omata electorate:

Election results

1853 election

William Crompton was returned unopposed.

1855 election

1860 by-election

was returned unopposed.

1868 by-election

Charles Brown was returned unopposed.(see ).

1870 by-election

Notes

References

* * * {{Historic electorates of New Zealand , state=collapsed Historical electorates of New Zealand Politics of Taranaki 1853 establishments in New Zealand 1870 disestablishments in New Zealand