Motueka (New Zealand electorate)
# Motueka (New Zealand electorate)

Motueka is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1860 and existed until the 1890 election, when it was abolished. For the 1896 election the Motueka electorate was recreated, and lasted until the 1946 election, when it was again abolished.

## Population centres

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. 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. The Motueka electorate had 311 registered electors for the 1861 election.

Localities within the electorate were Motueka and Māpua. 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.

## History

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. In 1928, Hudson was unexpectedly beaten by 24-year-old George Black of the United Party. 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. 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. 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.

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. At the 1931 election, Black beat Holyoake. In October 1932, Black committed suicide, and this caused the 1932 Motueka by-election, which was won by future prime minister Holyoake.

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

### Members of Parliament

Key

| Independent | Liberal | Reform |
| - | - | - |
| United | National | Labour |
| Election | Winner |
| 1861 election | Herbert Curtis |
| 1866 election | Charles Parker |
| 1871 election | David Monro |
| 1871 | Charles Parker (2nd period) |
| 1876 election | Richmond Hursthouse |
| 1879 election | Richmond Hursthouse |
| 1881 election | Richmond Hursthouse |
| 1884 election | Richmond Hursthouse |
| 1887 election | John Kerr |
| (Electorate abolished, 1890–1896) |||
| 1896 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1899 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1902 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1905 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1908 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1911 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1914 election | Richard Hudson |
| 1919 election | Richard Hudson |
| 1922 election | Richard Hudson |
| 1925 election | Richard Hudson |
| 1928 election | George Black |
| 1931 election | George Black |
| 1932 by-election | Keith Holyoake |
| 1935 election | Keith Holyoake |
| 1938 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1943 election | Jerry Skinner |
| (Electorate abolished 1946) |||

Table footnotes:

* ↑ Charles Parker declared elected on petition, 20 September 1871
* ↑ George Black became an Independent in March 1931

## Election results

### 1943 election

1943 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 4,260 | 51.30 | -2.86 |
| | National | John Robert Haldane | 3,959 | 47.67 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 85 | 1.02 | +0.18 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 301 | 3.62 | -5.54 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,304 | 92.32 | -1.68 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,994 | | |

### 1938 election

1938 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 5,142 | 54.16 | |
| | National | Keith Holyoake | 4,272 | 44.99 | -6.41 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 80 | 0.84 | -0.02 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 870 | 9.16 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,494 | 94.00 | +2.06 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,099 | | |

### 1935 election

1935 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Reform | Keith Holyoake | 5,115 | 51.40 | +2.36 |
| | Labour | Rubert York | 4,835 | 48.59 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 86 | 0.86 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 280 | 2.81 | -5.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,950 | 91.94 | +2.91 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,822 | | |

### 1932 by-election

1932 Motueka by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Reform | Keith Holyoake | 3,887 | 49.04 | +2.34 |
| | Labour | Paddy Webb | 3,210 | 40.50 | |
| | Liberal–Labour | Roderick McKenzie | 829 | 10.46 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 677 | 8.54 | +1.95 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,926 | 89.03 | +0.52 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,903 | | |
| | Reform gain from Independent | Reform gain from Independent | Swing | | |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | George Black | 4,180 | 53.30 | -0.75 |
| | Reform | Keith Holyoake | 3,663 | 46.70 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 517 | 6.59 | -1.50 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 37 | 0.47 | -0.21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,880 | 88.51 | -1.71 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,903 | | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | United | George Black | 4,095 | 54.05 | |
| | Reform | Richard Hudson | 3,482 | 45.95 | -11.86 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 613 | 8.09 | -23.71 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 52 | 0.68 | +0.23 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,629 | 90.22 | -0.85 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,456 | | |

### 1925 election

1925 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Reform | Richard Hudson | 4,356 | 65.90 |
| | Labour | Mark Fagan | 2,254 | 34.10 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,102 | 31.80 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 30 | 0.45 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,640 | 91.07 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,291 | |

### 1914 election

1914 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Reform | Richard Hudson | 2,760 | 56.12 |
| | Liberal | Roderick McKenzie | 2,158 | 43.88 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 602 | 12.24 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 16 | 0.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,934 | 82.44 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,985 | |

### 1899 election

1899 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Roderick McKenzie | 2,078 | 67.25 | +23.39 |
| | Conservative | Walter Moffatt | 1,012 | 32.75 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,066 | 34.50 | +30.27 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,090 | 72.10 | -11.10 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,286 | | |

### 1896 election

1896 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Roderick McKenzie | 1,306 | 43.85 |
| | Conservative | Richmond Hursthouse | 1,180 | 39.62 |
| | Liberal | William Norris Franklyn | 492 | 16.52 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 126 | 4.23 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 7 | 0.23 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,588 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,985 | 83.19 |

### 1887 election

1887 general election: Motueka :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Independent | John Kerr | 675 | 55.83 |
| | Independent | Richmond Hursthouse | 534 | 44.17 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 141 | 11.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,209 | 69.56 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,738 | |
