Ponsonby (New Zealand electorate)
# Ponsonby (New Zealand electorate)

Ponsonby was a parliamentary electorate in Auckland, New Zealand from 1887 to 1890 and from 1946 to 1963. The Ponsonby electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament.

## Population centres

In the 1887 electoral redistribution, although the Representation Commission was required through the Representation Act 1887 to maintain existing electorates "as far as possible", rapid population growth in the North Island required the transfer of three seats from the South Island to the north. Ten new electorates were created, including Ponsonby, and one former electorate was recreated. The electorate was based on the suburb of Ponsonby.

In December 1887, the House of Representatives 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 the Ponsonby electorate was abolished again. The vast majority of its area went to the City of Auckland electorate, and the balance to the Newton electorate.

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, 19 electorates were created for the first time, and eight former electorates were re-established, including Ponsonby.

## History

The electorate's first representative was Thomas Peacock, who had represented Auckland electorates since the 1881 election. At the end of the parliamentary term in 1890, Peacock retired and the Ponsonby electorate was abolished.

The electorate was re-established for the 1946 election, and it was represented by Ritchie Macdonald of the Labour Party for its existence until its abolition in 1963. Macdonald successfully contested the Grey Lynn electorate in the 1963 election. Both the Social Credit and Communist Party candidates for Ponsonby in 1960 likewise contested Grey Lynn in 1963.

### Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament.

Key

Independent  Labour

| Election | Winner |
| - | - |
| 1887 election | Thomas Peacock |
| (Electorate abolished 1890–1946; see City of Auckland) |||
| 1946 election | Ritchie Macdonald |
| 1949 election | Ritchie Macdonald |
| 1951 election | Ritchie Macdonald |
| 1954 election | Ritchie Macdonald |
| 1957 election | Ritchie Macdonald |
| 1960 election | Ritchie Macdonald |
| (Electorate abolished 1963; see Grey Lynn) |||

## Election results

### 1960 election

1960 general election: Ponsonby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Ritchie Macdonald | 9,138 | 62.99 | -4.10 |
| | National | Neil Fergusson McLaughlan | 4,394 | 30.29 | |
| | Social Credit | Bill Ross | 612 | 4.21 | +0.04 |
| | Communist | George Jackson | 361 | 2.48 | +0.75 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,744 | 32.70 | -7.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,505 | 86.90 | -5.03 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,690 | | |

### 1957 election

1957 general election: Ponsonby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Ritchie Macdonald | 11,029 | 67.09 | +6.45 |
| | National | Gordon Smith | 4,437 | 26.99 | |
| | Social Credit | Bill Ross | 686 | 4.17 | |
| | Communist | George Jackson | 286 | 1.73 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,592 | 40.10 | +12.54 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,438 | 91.93 | +3.11 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,880 | | |

### 1954 election

1954 general election: Ponsonby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Ritchie Macdonald | 8,684 | 60.64 | +4.48 |
| | National | Harold Barry | 4,734 | 33.05 | |
| | Social Credit | John Stackpole | 716 | 5.00 | |
| | Communist | Hugh McLeod | 186 | 1.29 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,948 | 27.56 | +15.24 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,320 | 88.82 | +1.66 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,122 | | |

### 1951 election

1951 general election: Ponsonby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Ritchie Macdonald | 6,855 | 56.16 | -1.46 |
| | National | Peter Dempsey | 5,351 | 43.83 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,504 | 12.32 | -5.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,206 | 87.16 | -6.56 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,004 | | |

### 1949 election

1949 general election: Ponsonby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Ritchie Macdonald | 7,439 | 57.62 | -5.37 |
| | National | Brian Kingston | 5,161 | 39.97 | |
| | Independent Liberal | William Frederick Jamieson | 169 | 1.30 | |
| | Communist | Henry Mornington Smith | 140 | 1.08 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,278 | 17.64 | -8.35 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,909 | 93.72 | -0.97 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,774 | | |

### 1946 election

1946 general election: Ponsonby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Labour | Ritchie Macdonald | 8,314 | 62.99 |
| | National | Peter Dempsey | 4,883 | 37.01 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,431 | 25.99 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,197 | 94.69 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,937 | |
