Rakaia was a 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
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, ...
in the
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
region from 1972 to 1978 and 1993 to 2008.
The seat was held by former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Jenny Shipley
Dame Jennifer Mary Shipley (née Robson; born 4 February 1952) is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 36th prime minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999. She was the first female prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woma ...
from 1993 to 2002, and by
Brian ConnellNew Zealand Parliament - Brian Connell MP
/ref> from 2002 to 2008.
Population centres
Since the , the number of electorates in the South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
was fixed at 25, with continued faster population growth in 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 ...
leading to an increase in the number of general electorates. There were 84 electorates for the 1969 election, and the 1972 electoral redistribution saw three additional general seats created for the North Island, bringing the total number of electorates to 87. Together with increased urbanisation in Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
and Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, the changes proved very disruptive to existing electorates. In the South Island, three electorates were abolished, and three electorates were newly created (including Rakaia). In the North Island, five electorates were abolished, two electorates were recreated, and six electorates were newly created.
The electorate included the following population centres:
* Ashburton
* Darfield
* Leeston
Leeston (Māori language, Māori: ''Karumata'') is a town on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 30 kilometres southwest of Christchurch, between the shore of Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and the mouth of the Ra ...
* Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
* Methven
* Rakaia
Rakaia is a town seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57 km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the ...
* Rolleston Rolleston may refer to:
Places
* Rolleston, Queensland, Australia
* Rolleston, Leicestershire, England
* Rolleston, Nottinghamshire, England
** Rolleston railway station
* Rolleston on Dove, Staffordshire, England
** Rolleston Hall
* Rolleston, ...
* Southbridge
* West Melton
History
The Rakaia seat previously existed from 1972 to 1978, when it was held by Colin McLachlan
Colin Campbell Alexander McLachlan (28 November 1924 – 26 September 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.
Biography
McLachlan was born in Christchurch in 1924. He received his education at Lakeside Primary School a ...
of the National Party, who previously and subsequently held the Selwyn seat. It was recreated in 1993 as a replacement for Ashburton.
Due to boundary changes for the 2008 general election, the Rakaia seat ceased to exist. Its population centres were redistributed among the new seats of Rangitata and Selwyn.
In the 2008 election, Selwyn was expected to be a safe National seat while was considered vulnerable to capture by Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
due to the presence of the city of Timaru
Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...
. While Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, incl ...
won Selwyn for National as expected, Rangitata was taken by National's Jo Goodhew
Joanne Gay Goodhew (born 1961) is a New Zealand politician. She served as a member of Parliament between 2005 and 2017.
Early years
Goodhew grew up in Timaru, and attended Timaru Girls' High School. She holds a qualification in nursing from Ota ...
.
Members of Parliament
Key
Election results
1999 election
Refer to Candidates in the New Zealand general election 1999 by electorate#Rakaia for a list of candidates.
1975 election
1972 election
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
Electorate Profile
''Parliamentary Library''
{{Historic electorates of New Zealand , state=collapsed
Historical electorates of New Zealand
1972 establishments in New Zealand
1978 disestablishments in New Zealand
1993 establishments in New Zealand
2008 disestablishments in New Zealand