Petone (New Zealand electorate)

Petone is a former parliamentary electorate in the lower Hutt Valley of New Zealand, from 1946 to 1978. The electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament from the Labour Party.

Population centres

The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Petone.[1] The electorate was based on the southern part of the city of Lower Hutt. Settlements within the electorate included the suburb of Petone, Wainuiomata, and Eastbourne.[2]

The Petone electorate was abolished through the 1977 electoral redistribution.[3] Most of its area went to the Pencarrow electorate, while some area, including the suburb of Petone, transferred to the Western Hutt electorate.

History

The Petone electorate was first used for the 1946 election. Its first representative was Mick Moohan of the Labour Party, who was Minister of Railways from 1957 to 1960 while serving the electorate. Moohan died in office on 7 February 1967.[4]

This caused the 1967 by-election, which was won by Fraser Colman. He served until the electorate was abolished in 1978, and moved to the Pencarrow electorate.[5]

Members of Parliament

The Petone electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament.[6]

Key

  Labour

Election Winner
1946 election Mick Moohan
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election
1966 election
1967 by-election Fraser Colman
1969 election
1972 election
1975 election
(Electorate abolished in 1978;
see Pencarrow and Western Hutt)

Election results

1975 election
1975 general election: Petone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fraser Colman 8,333 51.28 -11.83
National Brel Gluyas 5,499 33.84
Values Ian Donaldson 1,168 7.18
Social Credit Reg Moore 1,155 7.10 +2.39
Liberal John Anthony Patrick Broderick 62 0.38
Socialist Action Russell Johnson 31 0.19
Majority 2,834 17.44 -18.86
Turnout 16,248 80.96 -7.30
Registered electors 20,069

1972 election
1972 general election: Petone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fraser Colman 9,334 63.11 +4.23
National Nick Ursin 3,994 27.00
Social Credit Reg Moore 698 4.71
Values L B Frost 674 4.55
New Democratic E G M Tyley 90 0.60
Majority 5,340 36.10 -12.24
Turnout 14,790 88.26 -0.36
Registered electors 16,756

1969 election
1969 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fraser Colman 8,512 58.88 +4.28
National Francis Joshua Handy 5,064 35.03
Social Credit K H Walker 880 6.08
Majority 3,450 23.86 +0.11
Turnout 14,456 88.62 +21.05
Registered electors 16,312

1967 by-election
1967 Petone by-election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fraser Colman 7,086 54.60
National Dick Martin 4,003 30.84
Social Credit Colin Whitmill 1,888 14.54 +2.43
Majority 3,083 23.75
Turnout 12,977 67.57 -20.17
Registered electors 19,203
Labour hold Swing

1966 election
1966 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 8,301 52.12 -2.78
National Joe Miller 5,694 35.75
Social Credit Colin Whitmill 1,929 12.11
Majority 2,607 16.37 +1.23
Turnout 15,924 84.74 -3.42
Registered electors 18,791

1963 election
1963 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 8,875 54.90 -1.07
National Peter Love 6,427 39.75
Social Credit Thomas Frank Foulger 688 4.25
Independent C G Stancliff 175 1.08
Majority 2,448 15.14 -3.55
Turnout 16,165 88.16 -1.60
Registered electors 18,335

1960 election
1960 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 8,738 55.97 -5.15
National Dick Martin 5,820 37.28
Social Credit Desmond George Long 1,052 6.73 -1.94
Majority 2,918 18.69 -8.35
Turnout 15,610 89.76 -3.05
Registered electors 17,389

1957 election
1957 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 9,401 61.12 -0.07
National Dan Riddiford 5,242 34.08
Social Credit Desmond George Long 737 4.79
Majority 4,159 27.04 -2.14
Turnout 15,380 92.81 +6.42
Registered electors 16,571

1954 election
1954 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 8,831 61.19 +2.90
National Fanny Elizabeth Soward 4,620 32.01
Social Credit Robert Leslie Allan 859 5.95
Communist Connie Birchfield 120 0.83
Majority 4,211 29.18 +12.59
Turnout 14,430 86.39 -1.81
Registered electors 16,702

1951 election
1951 general election: Petone[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 7,502 58.29 -0.55
National Norm Croft 5,367 41.70 +2.12
Majority 2,135 16.59 -2.66
Turnout 12,869 88.20 -4.23
Registered electors 14,590

1949 election
1949 general election: Petone[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 7,721 58.84 -6.53
National Norm Croft 5,194 39.58
Communist Arthur Philip Quinn 207 1.57
Majority 2,527 19.25 -11.49
Turnout 13,122 92.43 +0.29
Registered electors 14,196

1946 election
1946 general election: Petone[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mick Moohan 8,545 65.37
National George London 4,526 34.62
Majority 4,019 30.74
Turnout 13,071 92.14
Registered electors 14,185

Notes
  1. McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  2. McRobie 1989, p. 94.
  3. McRobie 1989, pp. 115, 119.
  4. Wilson 1985, p. 221.
  5. Wilson 1985, p. 190.
  6. Wilson 1985, p. 270.
  7. Norton 1988, p. 318.
  8. Norton 1988, p. 317.
  9. "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  10. "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.

References
  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
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