Waipa is a former 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

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

region of New Zealand, which existed for various periods between 1876 and 1996.

Population centres

In the 1875 electoral redistribution, the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

increased representation by 10 seats, but this was mostly achieved through adding more members to existing electorates. Only two new electorates were created, and the Waipa electorate was one of them. It was created by splitting the area of the electorate. For the first election in

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

, polling booths were in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

West (the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

was the electorate's boundary),

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...

, Alexandra (since renamed to

Pirongia Pirongia is a small town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies i ...

), Raglan, and

Ōhaupō Ōhaupō is a rural community in the Waipa District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on State Highway 3, about halfway between Hamilton and Te Awamutu. The Ōhaupō area and surrounding Ngāhinapōuri, Te Rore a ...

. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the Waipa electorate was not altered. In the 1887 electoral redistribution, the Waipa electorate lost some area in the south and east, and

Awakino Awakino is a settlement in the south of Waitomo District, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 3 at the mouth of the Awakino River, five kilometres north of Mokau. It is 79 km southwest of Te Kuiti, and 98&n ...

went to the electorate, whilst Turangi went to the electorate. In the 1890 electoral redistribution, Waipa was abolished and the vast majority of its area went to the Waikato electorate, which shifted west. In the 1892 electoral redistribution, Waikato electorate moved east again and the Waipa electorate was re-created. For the first time, it extended as far north as the

Firth of Thames The Firth of Thames ( mi, Tikapa Moana-o-Hauraki) is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town of ...

. The First Labour Government was defeated in the 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 South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and

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 ...

s, 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 Waipa) 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 . Through an amendment in the Electoral Act in 1965, 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, an increase of one since the 1962 electoral redistribution. It was accepted that through the more rapid population growth in the

, the number of its electorates would continue to increase, and to keep proportionality, three new electorates were allowed for in the 1967 electoral redistribution for the next election. In the North Island, five electorates were newly created and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished (including Waipa). In the South Island, three electorates were newly created and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished. The overall effect of the required changes was highly disruptive to existing electorates, with all but three electorates having their boundaries altered. These changes came into effect with the .

History

Waipa existed from 1876 to 1890, 1893 to 1896, then from 1954 to 1969, and then from 1978 to 1996. Holders of the electorate from 1876 to 1890 were: * Alfred Cox 1876–78 (resigned) * Edward Graham McMinn 1878–79 (defeated) *

Frederick Alexander Whitaker Frederick Alexander Whitaker (1 March 1847 – 9 June 1887) was a 19th-century member of parliament in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Whitaker was born in Pernambuco, Brazil, on 1 March 1847; he was the eldest son of Frederick Whitaker, ...

1879–84 (retired) * Edward Lake 1884–87 (retired) * William Jackson 1887–89 (died) *

John Bryce John Bryce (14 September 1833 – 17 January 1913) was a New Zealand politician from 1871 to 1891 and Minister of Native Affairs from 1879 to 1884. In his attitudes to Māori land questions, he favoured strict legal actions against Māori oppo ...

1889–90 (stood for

) For the period from 1893 to 1896, there was one representative: * Frederic Lang 1893–96

Election results

The following members represented Waipa: Key

1878 by-election

Notes

References

* * {{Historic electorates of New Zealand , state=collapsed Historical electorates of New Zealand 1875 establishments in New Zealand 1893 establishments in New Zealand 1954 establishments in New Zealand 1978 establishments in New Zealand 1890 disestablishments in New Zealand 1896 disestablishments in New Zealand 1969 disestablishments in New Zealand 1996 disestablishments in New Zealand Politics of Waikato