Motueka (New Zealand electorate)

In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of representatives by 12, reflecting the immense population growth since the original electorates were established in 1853. The redistribution created 15 additional electorates with between one and three members, and Motueka was one of the single-member electorates.[1] The electorates were distributed to provinces so that every province had at least two members. Within each province, the number of registered electors by electorate varied greatly.[1] The Motueka electorate had 311 registered electors for the 1861 election.[2]

Localities within the electorate were Motueka and Māpua.[1] The Motueka electorate took in about half the area of the prior Motueka and Massacre Bay electorate; the other half had gone to the Collingwood electorate.[3]

From the 3rd to the 10th New Zealand Parliament, Motueka was represented by five Members of Parliament (counting Monro, who was unseated following a petition). Curtis and Parker had previously represented the Motueka and Massacre Bay electorate. David Monro represented the electorate in 1871 until he was unseated by Parliament on a petition. Parker was followed by Richmond Hursthouse 1876–87, then John Kerr 1887–90.

The Motueka electorate was held for 14 years by Richard Hudson of the Reform Party from the 1914 election.[4] In 1928, Hudson was unexpectedly beaten by 24-year-old George Black of the United Party.[5][6] The Reform Party looked for potential candidates to win back the electorate, and a young farmer who was not even a member, Keith Holyoake, was suggested.[6] Holyoake, who had been saving money to go overseas, was chosen in June 1931 from five candidates to contest Motueka, and his savings went into the election campaign instead.[6][7] Meanwhile, there was a desire by parts of the United Party to enter into a coalition with the Reform Party to avoid vote splitting on the centre-right, but it was not until September that the United–Reform Coalition was announced.[8]

Black had voted with the Labour Party in March 1931 on the Finance Bill and was expelled from the United Party the following day, thus becoming an Independent.[9] At the 1931 election, Black beat Holyoake.[10] In October 1932, Black committed suicide,[11][12] and this caused the 1932 Motueka by-election, which was won by future prime minister Holyoake.[6]

Holyoake was defeated in 1938 by Jerry Skinner,[13] who was a likely Labour leader if he had not died prematurely.[14]

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). Vol. I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.