![Palmerston North electorate, 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Palmerston_North_electorate%2C_2014.svg)
Palmerston North is 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
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, ...
, returning one Member of Parliament to the
New Zealand House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers of the New Zealand Government, ministers to form Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, and supervises the ...
. The electorate was first formed for the and was called Palmerston until 1938. The current MP for Palmerston North is
Tangi Utikere
Tangi William Edward Utikere (born ) is a New Zealand politician, and Member of Parliament for since 2020. He was the deputy mayor of Palmerston North from 2016 to 2020, being the first non-European to serve in that role.
Early life and pro ...
of the
Labour Party. He has held this position since the
2020 election.
Profile
In December 1887, 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 ...
voted to reduce its membership from general electorates from 91 to 70. The 1890 electoral redistribution used the same 1886 census data used for the 1887 electoral redistribution. In addition, three-member electorates were introduced in the four main centres. This resulted in a major restructuring of electorates, and Palmerston was one of four electorates to be first created for the 1890 election.
Palmerston North reached its current approximate size at the expense of the old
Manawatu electorate in the lead up to the introduction of
mixed-member proportional
Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP or MMPR) is a mixed electoral system in which votes cast are considered in local elections and also to determine overall party vote tallies, which are used to allocate additional members to produce ...
(MMP) voting in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
. The boundaries of the Palmerston North electorate were last adjusted in the 2007 redistribution, when the electorate became fully urban and covered all of the urbanised part of
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
City, with the towns in its orbit such as
Ashhurst
Ashhurst ( mi, Whārite) is a town and outlying suburb of Palmerston North, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
Location
Ashhurst is sited 14 kilometres northeast of the Palmerston North city centre. The town s ...
and
Linton Linton may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Linton, Victoria
Canada
* Linton, Ontario
* Linton, Quebec
United Kingdom England
* Linton, Cambridgeshire
* Linton, Derbyshire
* Linton (near Bromyard), Herefordshire
* Linton (near Ross-on-Wye), Her ...
becoming part of the neighbouring electorate of
Rangitīkei. To counter the population loss on the Manawatu River's left bank, the section of the city on the right bank, including the suburb of Milson, was moved in at the same time. No boundary adjustments were undertaken in the subsequent 2013/14 redistribution.
At the
2013 census, the Palmerston North electorate reported the highest share of those working in the retail trade industry (11.4%); those whose occupation was a community and personal service worker (10.9%); and those whose households used
mains (natural) gas as a heating fuel. Among general electorates, Palmerston North had the second-highest share of those working in the education and training sector (11.8%), and people affiliated with the Brethren religious denomination (1.2%).
History
The electorate has been loyal to the Labour Party, not having elected a National MP since
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, and having not re-elected a National MP since
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
.
The first representative of the Palmerston electorate was
James Wilson James Wilson may refer to:
Politicians and government officials
Canada
*James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada
* James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...
. Wilson previously represented the electorate until its abolition in 1890. In the , Wilson beat
Frederick Pirani
Frederick Pirani (3 December 1858 – 26 October 1926) was a New Zealand politician. He was Member of the House of Representatives for Palmerston from 1893 to 1902, first as a Liberal, then as an Independent. He was part of the Liberal Party's ...
by 61 votes.
In the , Wilson stood successfully in the
Otaki electorate and Palmerston was won by Pirani, who was confirmed in and , but defeated in when he contested the electorate.
In the 1899 election, Prime Minister
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...
expressed his opposition to Pirani (who had previously stood for the Liberal Party) by endorsing
William Thomas Wood
William Thomas Wood (10 June 1854 – 10 June 1943) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.
Early life and family
Born in Hobart, Tasmania, in June 1854, Wood was the son of Robert Wood and Charlotte Wood (née Watford). After ...
, who came second that year.
Wood was the successful candidate in the 1902 election, and he was confirmed in . The was held under the Second Ballot Act, contested by three candidates.
David Buick
David Dunbar Buick (September 17, 1854 – March 5, 1929) was a Scottish-born American Detroit-based inventor, best known for founding the Buick Motor Company. He headed this company and its predecessor from 1899–1906, thereby helping to ...
, Wood and W. Milverton received 2675, 2626 and 123 votes, respectively. As Buick did not receive an absolute majority, a second ballot was required.
Buick standing for the
Reform Party was again successful in the second round of voting and was thus elected.
Buick was re-elected in and , but died in office on 18 November 1918 during the
influenza epidemic
Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...
.
Jimmy Nash
James Alfred Nash (27 July 1871 – 24 July 1952), known as Jimmy Nash, was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand and a Mayor of Palmerston North.
Biography
Nash was born in 1871 in Foxton to Ann Ellen Webster and Norman ...
, the sitting
Mayor of Palmerston North
The Mayor of Palmerston North is the head of the municipal government of Palmerston North, New Zealand, and presides over the Palmerston North City Council. The current mayor is Grant Smith, who became mayor in a February 2015 by-election. This ...
, won the resulting
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
on 19 December 1918. Nash was confirmed at the next five general elections, but was defeated in the by
Joe Hodgens
Joseph Hodgens (5 January 1887 – 12 January 1955) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Biography
He represented the Manawatu electorate of Palmerston from 1935, and from 1938 when it was renamed Palmerston North, to 1946 wh ...
of the
Labour Party in an election also contested by the then-mayor,
Gus Mansford.
Hodgens had previously contested the electorate in the and elections. He retired from the electorate at the 1946 election due to the deteriorating health of his wife.
The was contested between
Ormond Wilson
George Hamish Ormond Wilson (18 November 1907 – 17 April 1988) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party, farmer, author and Chairman of the Historic Places Trust. He donated 30 acres of bush and his homestead to t ...
for Labour and Mansford, whose relationship with the
National Party was strained, since his 1935 election campaign had contributed to the defeat of Nash. Mansford failed to get nominated by the National Party for the and elections. So in 1946, the National Party decided not to stand a candidate, with Mansford running as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
. Wilson obtained a majority of 928 votes.
Wilson lost the subsequent election in against
Blair Tennent
William Blair Tennent (4 December 1898 – 1 May 1976), known as Blair Tennent, was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand National Party, National Party and a cabinet minister. In Palmerston North he was a dentist, and a local body politic ...
of the National Party.
Tennent was confirmed at the subsequent election, but then lost against the Labour candidate,
Philip Skoglund
Philip Oscar Selwyn Skoglund (14 June 1899 – 2 November 1975) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party who served as a cabinet minister.
Biography Early life and career
Skoglund was born in Greymouth in 1899, and educated at Strat ...
, in the .
Skoglund contested the against
Bill Brown of the National Party and was confirmed by the voters. However, in the , Brown beat Skoglund by the narrow majority of 123 votes. At the , Brown had a 772-vote majority to Skoglund. The was contested by Brown against Labour's
Joe Walding
Joseph Albert Walding (18 June 1926 – 5 June 1985) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He represented the Palmerston North for several terms. After his retirement from Parliament, he became High Commissioner to the United Kingdo ...
, with Brown holding a 259-vote majority. Brown died in office on 16 October 1967 at a function in
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is con ...
.
The resulting was contested by five candidates: Walding (Labour Party), Gordon Cruden (National Party),
John O'Brien (
Social Credit Party), Goldingham (Progress) and P. J. Wedderspoon (
Democratic Labour). Walding obtained a majority of 592 votes.
Walding represented the Palmerston North electorate until the , when he was defeated by
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...
, and from to 1981. Six months prior to the , he announced his retirement from Parliament.
The Labour nomination was hotly contested and
Trevor de Cleene
Trevor Albert de Cleene (24 March 1933 – 22 April 2001) was a New Zealand politician and lawyer. After gaining experience as a councillor with Palmerston North City Council, he was elected to Parliament for the New Zealand Labour Party, Labou ...
, a good friend of Walding, was the most experienced candidate who put his name forward for selection, and despite concerns about his often controversial nature, he was nominated by the party. The candidate put forward by National was his old foe
Brian Elwood
Sir Brian George Conway Elwood (born 5 April 1933) is a former New Zealand lawyer, politician, and public servant. He served as mayor of Palmerston North from 1971 to 1985, and was the Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand from December 1994 to June 2 ...
, with whom he had worked on the Palmerston North City Council for many years, and against whom he lost the mayoralty contest in 1974. Elwood and de Cleene received 8315 and 10425 votes, respectively (representing 35.7% and 48.5% of the vote), with de Cleene thus entering
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
in 1981.
De Cleene won the , called early by
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party.
Serving as a corporal and sergeant in th ...
, with an increased majority over National's candidate, C G Singleton.
In the , de Cleene raised his share of the vote to 56.2%, defeating National's Paul Curry. He did not seek re-election in the .
Iain Lees-Galloway
Iain Francis Lees-Galloway (born 18 September 1978), initially Iain Galloway, is a New Zealand former politician. He represented the Palmerston North electorate in Parliament for the Labour Party. He was the Minister for Workplace Relations, Im ...
was selected by the Labour Party as successor to retiring MP
Steve Maharey, who became Vice Chancellor of
Massey University
Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...
, in a contested Labour Party selection for the .
Lees-Galloway defeated the National Party candidate, Malcolm Plimmer, with a majority of 1,117 votes.
In the , Lees-Galloway was confirmed with an increased majority of 3,285 votes, defeating National's Leonie Hapeta.
In the , Lees-Galloway was challenged by the
Mayor of Palmerston North
The Mayor of Palmerston North is the head of the municipal government of Palmerston North, New Zealand, and presides over the Palmerston North City Council. The current mayor is Grant Smith, who became mayor in a February 2015 by-election. This ...
,
Jono Naylor
Jonathan Mark Naylor (born 1966), commonly known as Jono Naylor, is a New Zealand politician from Palmerston North. He was Mayor of Palmerston North from 2007 until 2014, when he was elected to the House of Representatives in the as a list MP ...
, but remained successful. Lees-Galloway had a decreased majority of 2,212 votes over Naylor.
Naylor was the lowest-ranked National MP who entered Parliament via their list.
Ian Lees-Galloway retired before the 2020 election and was replaced by
Tangi Utikere
Tangi William Edward Utikere (born ) is a New Zealand politician, and Member of Parliament for since 2020. He was the deputy mayor of Palmerston North from 2016 to 2020, being the first non-European to serve in that role.
Early life and pro ...
, the city's deputy mayor, as the electorate's MP.
Members of Parliament
Key
List MPs
Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Palmerston North electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
Election results
2020 election
2017 election
2014 election
2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 43,524
2008 election
2005 election
1999 election
Refer to
Candidates in the New Zealand general election 1999 by electorate#Palmerston North for a list of candidates.
1993 election
1990 election
1987 election
1984 election
1981 election
1978 election
1975 election
1972 election
Table footnotes:
1969 election
1967 by-election
1966 election
1963 election
1960 election
1957 election
1954 election
1951 election
1949 election
1946 election
1943 election
1938 election
1935 election
1931 election
1928 election
Table footnotes:
1925 election
1919 election
1918 by-election
1899 election
1890 election
Table footnotes
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
The First Sixteen Members of Parliament for Palmerston North, lectures presented in association with the Manawatu Workers' Association (WEA)''Mervyn Hancock, Palmerston North City Library''
Electorate Profile ''Parliamentary Library''
{{electorates of New Zealand
New Zealand electorates
Politics of Manawatū-Whanganui
Palmerston North
1890 establishments in New Zealand