Waitomo was a 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 ...

in the Waikato region and the

King Country The King Country (Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...

of New Zealand, from 1919 to 1972. The electorate was represented by four

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Population centres

In the 1918 electoral redistribution, 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 ...

gained a further three electorates from 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 ...

due to faster population growth. Only two existing electorates were unaltered, five electorates were abolished, two former electorate were re-established, and three electorates, including Waitomo, were created for the first time. The electorate was abolished through the 1918 electoral redistribution, and the vast majority of the Waitomo electorate's area had previously been in the Taumarunui electorate. Settlements that fell within the initial area of the Waitomo electorate were

Ōtorohanga Ōtorohanga is a north King Country town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located south of Hamilton and north of Te Kūiti, on the Waipā River. It is a service town for the surrounding dairy-farming district. ...

, Te Kuiti,

Ōhura Ōhura is a small town in the west of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located to the west of Taumarunui in the area known as the King Country, in inland Manawatū-Whanganui. It lies on the banks of the Mangaroa Stream, a tributary of th ...

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 ...

Mōkau Mōkau is a small town on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, located at the mouth of the Mōkau River on the North Taranaki Bight. Mōkau is in the Waitomo District and Waikato region local government areas, just north of the boundar ...

, and Waitara.

History

The Waitomo electorate was first established for the . The first representative was

William Thomas Jennings William Thomas Jennings (1854 – 6 February 1923) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Early life He was born in Auckland, where he attended St. Paul's school and subsequently became an apprentice printer in the offices of ...

of the Liberal Party. John Rolleston of the Reform Party defeated the incumbent by 3447 to 3441 votes, a majority of only six votes. Rolleston in turn was defeated in by

Walter Broadfoot Sir Walter James Broadfoot (6 April 1881 – 10 September 1965) was a New Zealand politician of the United Party, and from 1936, the National Party. He was a cabinet minister from 1949 to 1954 in the First National Government. Biography Ea ...

of the United Party. Broadfoot joined the National Party in 1936 when it formed through the amalgamation of the United and Reform Parties. He remained the electorate's representative until the , when he retired. Broadfoot was succeeded by

David Seath David Coutts Seath (31 March 1914 – 18 October 1997) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Seath was born in Musselburgh, Scotland. He received his education at Waihi District High School, Waihi School of M ...

of the National Party, who represented the electorate until the , when he retired. In the same year, the Waitomo electorate was abolished.

Members of Parliament

The Waitomo electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament: Key

Election results

1935 election

1928 election

Notes

References

* * {{Historic electorates of New Zealand , state=collapsed Historical electorates of New Zealand 1919 establishments in New Zealand 1972 disestablishments in New Zealand