Banks Peninsula is 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 in the Holy Roman Empire until 1806
* An electoral district
...
which initially existed from 1996 to 2008, and was later recreated in 2020 ahead of the
2020 election. It was held by National's
David Carter for the initial term, and then by Labour's
Ruth Dyson from 1999 to 2008. As of 2023, the seat is currently held by National's
Vanessa Weenink.
Population centres
The Banks Peninsula electorate, as defined in 2020, includes some of southern
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
, with suburbs such as Oaklands, Somerfield, Cashmere, Woolston,
Halswell, Heathcote, and Sumner. It also includes some towns immediately south of Christchurch such as
Lyttelton, and all of
Banks Peninsula itself including the town of
Akaroa
Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Ngāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu Māori language, Māori for "Long Harbour", which woul ...
.
History
The
1996 election was notable for the significant change of electorate boundaries, based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 1993. Because of the introduction of the
mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system, the number of electorates had to be reduced, leading to significant changes. More than half of the electorates contested in 1996 were newly constituted, and most of the remainder had seen significant boundary changes. In total, 73 electorates were abolished, 29 electorates were newly created (including Banks Peninsula), and 10 electorates were recreated, giving a net loss of 34 electorates. Banks Peninsula replaced the previous
Lyttelton electorate.
In boundary changes for the
2008 general election, the electorate lost its rural population centres to the newly formed
Selwyn, and became a solely urban electorate that was renamed
Port Hills
The Port Hills () are a range of hills in Canterbury Region of New Zealand, so named because they lie between the city of Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton. They are an eroded remnant of the Banks Peninsula Volcano ...
. Labour's Ruth Dyson retained Port Hills for all four elections with a greater lead than she had seen for Banks Peninsula. Dyson chose not to seek reelection in 2020 with Labour's
Tracey McLellan succeeding Dyson.
In the boundary review of 2019/2020, the Representation Commission decided to make large changes to the boundaries of Port Hills, taking area in
Halswell and parts of
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
out and adding Banks Peninsula in, to manage large changes in population in the Christchurch and areas. The electorate was also re-recreated as Banks Peninsula.
At its first election, the electorate was won easily by Labour's
Tracey McLellan amidst the nationwide Labour landslide.
Members of Parliament
Key
List MPs
Election results
2023 election
2020 election
2005 election
2002 election
:
a United Future swing is compared to the combined 1999 results of
United NZ and
Future NZ, who merged in 2000.
1999 election
1996 election
References
External links
Electorate Profile ''Parliamentary Library''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks Peninsula (New Zealand Electorate)
Historical electorates of New Zealand
1996 establishments in New Zealand
2008 disestablishments in New Zealand
2020 establishments in New Zealand