Ohinemuri (New Zealand electorate)
# Ohinemuri (New Zealand electorate)

Ohinemuri is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed from 1896 to 1928, and was represented by five Members of Parliament.

## Population centres

In the 1896 electoral redistribution, rapid population growth in the North Island required the transfer of three seats from the South Island to the north. Four electorates that previously existed were re-established, and three electorates were established for the first time, including Ohinemuri. The electorate was first used in the 1896 election. The original area included the settlements of Paeroa, Waihi, and Te Aroha.

In the 1902 electoral redistribution, Waihi was lost to the Bay of Plenty electorate. In the 1907 electoral redistribution, Waihi came back to the Ohinemuri electorate, but Te Aroha was lost to the Tauranga electorate. Ohinemuri was abolished in the 1927 electoral redistribution, and its area went to the Thames and Waikato electorates.

## History

Alfred Cadman was the electorate's first representative. He had represented the area in Parliament since the 1881 election. Cadman retired from the Lower House for appointment to the New Zealand Legislative Council at the end of the parliamentary term in 1899.

At the 1899 election, Jackson Palmer defeated Edward Moss for the Ohinemuri electorate. Palmer had previously represented the Waitemata electorate north of Auckland. At the 1902 election, Moss in turn defeated Palmer. Moss was an Independent Liberal who bitterly opposed Premier Richard Seddon. At the 1905 election, Moss was defeated by Hugh Poland of the Liberal Party. Poland became an independent in 1919, and was defeated in the 1925 election by Albert Samuel.

When the electorate was abolished in 1928, Samuel transferred to the Thames electorate.

### Members of Parliament

Key

Liberal  Independent Liberal  Reform

| Election | Winner |
| - | - |
| 1896 election | Alfred Cadman |
| 1899 election | Jackson Palmer |
| 1902 election | Edward Moss |
| 1905 election | Hugh Poland |
| 1908 election | Hugh Poland |
| 1911 election | Hugh Poland |
| 1914 election | Hugh Poland |
| 1919 election | Hugh Poland |
| 1922 election | Hugh Poland |
| 1925 election | Albert Samuel |
| (Electorate abolished 1928; see Thames and Waikato) |||

## Election results

### 1911 election

1911 general election: Ohinemuri, first ballot :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Hugh Poland | 2,791 | 45.57 |
| | Socialist | Pat Hickey | 1,674 | 27.33 |
| | Reform | Nisbet McRobie | 1,547 | 25.26 |
| | Independent | Charles Fletcher | 48 | 0.78 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 64 | 1.04 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 127 | 2.07 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,124 | 82.61 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,413 | |

1911 general election: Ohinemuri, second ballot :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Hugh Poland | 3,341 | 60.60 | +15.03 |
| | Socialist | Pat Hickey | 2,134 | 38.70 | +11.37 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 38 | 0.68 | +0.10 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,207 | 21.89 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,513 | 71.67 | -10.94 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,413 | | |

### 1908 election

1908 general election: Ohinemuri, first ballot :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Hugh Poland | 2,078 | 38.03 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Haselden | 1,252 | 22.91 |
| | Socialist | Robert Frederick Way | 725 | 13.27 |
| | Independent | J Foster | 268 | 4.90 |
| | Independent Labour | Tim Armstrong | 256 | 4.68 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,463 | 78.08 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,932 | |

1908 general election: Ohinemuri, second ballot :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Hugh Poland | 2,884 | 56.68 | +18.65 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Haselden | 2,192 | 43.08 | +20.17 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 692 | 13.60 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,088 | 73.39 | -4.69 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,932 | | |

### 1899 election

1899 general election: Ohinemuri :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent Liberal | Jackson Palmer | 1,765 | 31.94 |
| | Independent Liberal | Edward George Britton Moss | 1,470 | 26.60 |
| | Conservative | William McCullough | 795 | 14.39 |
| | Liberal | Mervyn James Stewart | 762 | 13.79 |
| | Conservative | William Deeble | 524 | 9.48 |
| | Liberal | Leo De Bakker | 206 | 3.73 |
| | Independent Labour | Edward James Drumm | 4 | 0.07 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 295 | 5.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,526 | 70.19 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,873 | |

Table footnotes:

* ↑ The party affiliations shown in this table are uncertain as further discussed on the talk page.
* ↑ Labour candidates at the time were counted as part of the Liberal Party
