Nelson (New Zealand electorate) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Nelson is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

Parliamentary electorate

New Zealand electorates

An electorate is a voting district for elections to the Parliament of New Zealand. In informal discussion, electorates are often called seats. The most formal description, electoral district, is rarely seen outside of electoral legislation. Before 1996, all Members of Parliament were directly...

, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand

New Zealand

House of Representatives

Parliament of New Zealand

The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...

. From 1853 to 1860, the electorate was called Town of Nelson. From 1860 to 1881, it was City of Nelson. The electorate is the only one that has continuously existed since the 1st Parliament in 1853.

The current MP for Nelson is Nick Smith of the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

. He has held this position since 1996

New Zealand general election, 1996

The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...

Population centres

Nelson is based around the city of Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....

, with the dormitory town of Richmond

Richmond, New Zealand

Richmond, the seat of the Tasman District Council, lies 13 km south of Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the southern extremity of Tasman Bay...

and the smaller communities of Hope

Hope, New Zealand

Hope is a small settlement south of Nelson, New Zealand, between Richmond and Wakefield.Hope began as a German settlement, founded by many of the families on the barque Skiold, which left Hamburg on 21 April 1844 and arrived in Nelson on 1 September...

and Brightwater drafted in to bring the electorate up to the required population quota.

The current boundaries were fixed in 1996

New Zealand general election, 1996

ahead of the change to Mixed Member Proportional voting; the decrease in South Island electorates from 25 to 16 lead to the abolition of one western South Island electorate; Tasman

Tasman (New Zealand electorate)

Tasman is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, from 1972 to 1996.-History:The Tasman and West Coast electorates replaced the former Buller and Westland electorates in 1972....

was split between West Coast

West Coast (New Zealand electorate)

West Coast is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, from 1972 to 1996.-History:The West Coast and Tasman electorates replaced the former Buller and Westland electorates in 1972....

and the then (geographically) much smaller Nelson electorate.

History

An electorate based on the Nelson has been contested at every election since the first Parliament

1st New Zealand Parliament

The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election . It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's election...

in 1853

New Zealand general election, 1853

The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 1st term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the colony, which was part of the British Empire at...

. Two of the original 24 electorates from the 1st Parliament

1st New Zealand Parliament

still exist (New Plymouth

New Plymouth (New Zealand electorate)

New Plymouth is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It was first created for the 1st New Zealand Parliament in 1853 and has existed since, with one 22-year interruption...

is the other one), but Nelson is the only original electorate that has existed continuously.

The electorate was initially known as Town of Nelson. From 1866 to 1881, it was called City of Nelson. Since 1881, it has been known as simply Nelson.

From 1853 to 1881, Nelson was a two member electorate. James Mackay

James Mackay (New Zealand politician)

James Mackay was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the 1st New Zealand Parliament. He is remembered for the incident with Henry Sewell in Parliament in 1854.-Early life:Mackay was born in Scotland in 1804...

and William Travers were the first two representatives elected in 1853. Travers and William Cautley

William Cautley

William Oldfield Cautley JP was a New Zealand politician. He served in the 1st New Zealand Parliament as representative for the Waimea electorate. He was elected in the 1853 general election, and Parliament's first session started on 24 May 1854. He resigned on 26 May 1854, and did not serve in...

(MP for Waimea

Waimea (New Zealand electorate)

Waimea was a parliamentary electorate in the Nelson Province of New Zealand, from 1853 to 1887.-Geographic coverage:Waimea was located in the northern part of the South Island, facing the Tasman Bay. It is the area around the town of Nelson, but excluded Nelson itself. It includes Wakefield,...

) both resigned on 26 May 1854. Travers subsequently contested the seat that Cautley had vacated, being elected in the 21 June 1854 Waimea by-election. Samuel Stephens

Samuel Stephens (New Zealand)

Samuel Stephens was a 19th century New Zealand politician.He became the Member of Parliament in the 1st Parliament for the Town of Nelson from 19 June 1854, when he replaced William Travers, who had resigned on 26 May 1854 to contest the Waimea seat.He died on 26 June 1855, and the seat was left...

, who succeeded Travers in Nelson, died before the end of the first term, but the seat remained vacant.

Alfred Domett

Alfred Domett

Alfred Domett, CMG was an English colonial statesman and poet. He was New Zealand's fourth Premier.-Early life:He was born at Camberwell, Surrey; his father was a ship-owner...

retired from politics at the end of the 3rd Parliament

3rd New Zealand Parliament

The 3rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Elections for this term were held between 12 December 1860 and 28 March 1861 in 43 electorates to elect 53 MPs...

. Edward Stafford

Edward Stafford (politician)

Sir Edward Stafford, KCMG served as the third Premier of New Zealand on three occasions in the mid 19th century. His total time in office is the longest of any leader without a political party. He is described as pragmatic, logical, and clear-sighted.-Early life and career:Edward William Stafford...

resigned in 1868 during the term of the 4th Parliament

4th New Zealand Parliament

The 4th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 61 electorates between 12 February and 6 April 1866 to elect 70 MPs. Parliament was prorogued in late 1870. During the term of this Parliament, two Ministries were in power...

. Nathaniel Edwards

Nathaniel Edwards

Nathaniel Edwards MLC was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. He arrived in Nelson in 1844 from London, England, married and had 12 children. His eldest son died in Paris in 1876 from typhoid fever. He was 19 years old.- Nathaniel Edwards and Co :Edwards was a partner of...

won the resulting by-election. Martin Lightband

Martin Lightband

Martin Lightband was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. Born in Worcester, England in 1831, he arrived at Nelson in 1842 on the Thomas Harrison with his parents, Mr and Mrs G W Lightband. Lightband was 10 years old when he arrived. He lived in Nelson almost his entire...

resigned after a year in Parliament in 1872 and was succeeded by David Luckie

David Luckie

David Mitchell Luckie was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand.- Background :Luckie was born in Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland, on 5 October 1827. He was the son of Thomas Luckie, a merchant, and Mary Mitchell. Educated in Montrose he first worked in a mercantile office,...

.

Nelson became a single member electorate in 1881. Henry Levestam

Henry Levestam

Henry Augustus Levestam was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. He was born in Boel, Schleswig-Holstein, when it was still part of Denmark in 1833, the son of Doctor Arnold Levestam and Henriette Fraenckel. Levestam's grandfather Matthias Levestam was born Moses Salomon...

, who was first elected in an 1881 by-election to replace Adams was confirmed by the voters at the next three general elections (1881, 1884 and 1887), but he died in office on 11 February 1889.

Joseph Harkness

Joseph Harkness

Joseph George Harkness JP was a 19th century independent conservative Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand.Harkness, the son of William Harkness, was born and educated at Nelson, attending Richmond School and Nelson College . He became a school teacher for a time.Harkness dairy farmed in...

won the resulting and was confirmed in the . He retired at the end of the parliamentary term in 1893 and was succeeded by John Graham

John Graham (politician)

John Graham was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.-Early life:Graham was born in Nelson in 1843, the eldest son of one of the earliest settlers of the region.-Member of Parliament:...

, who with the started a representation of the electorate that would last until his retirement in 1911.

Harry Atmore

Harry Atmore

Harry Atmore was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.Harry Atmore held the Nelson seat as an Independent for a total of thirty years from 1911 to 1914 and then from 1919 to his death in 1946...

of the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

succeeded Harkness in the , but he was defeated at the next election in 1914

New Zealand general election, 1914

The New Zealand general election of 1914 was held on 10 December to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 19th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 616,043 voters were registered, of which 84.7% voters turned out to vote....

by Thomas Field

Thomas Field (politician)

Thomas Andrew Hemming Field was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party. He married Jessica Black, and they had four children. His eldest son Arthur Nelson Field was a journalist and right-wing author.- Wilkins and Field :...

of the Reform Party

New Zealand Reform Party

The Reform Party, formally the New Zealand Political Reform League, was New Zealand's second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party...

. At the subsequent election in , Atmore defeated Field and represented the electorate until his death on 21 August 1946.

Atmore's death did not cause a by-election, as the was held in November of that year. The contest was won by Edgar Neale

Edgar Neale

Edgar Rollo Neale OBE JP FPANZ FCIS was born in Nelson, New Zealand on 24 October 1889. He was the Mayor and member of Parliament for Nelson, a strong supporter of the Nelson railway, and a representative cricketer.-Background:...

of the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

. He held the electorate until 1957, when he retired.

Atmore was succeeded by Stanley Whitehead

Stanley Whitehead

Sir Stanley Austin Whitehead was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was the fifteenth Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976, and Member of Parliament for the Nelson electorate from 1957 to 1976.-Early life and family:Whitehead was born in Reefton, on the West...

of the Labour Party

New Zealand Labour Party

The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....

in the . This started Labour's dominance in the electorate, which was to last for four decades. Whitehead died on 9 January 1976 in the office and this caused the , which was won by Labour's Mel Courtney

Mel Courtney

Melvyn Francis Courtney is a former Labour then Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand.-Member of Parliament:...

. In the , Courtney stood as an Independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

against Labour's Philip Woollaston

Philip Woollaston

Hon Philip Tosswill Edmond Woollaston was a New Zealand member of Parliament of the Labour Party from 1981 to 1990 and Mayor of Nelson, New Zealand from 1992 to 1998....

, with the latter the successful candidate. Woollaston retired in 1990 and was succeeded by Labour's John Blincoe

John Blincoe

John Blincoe is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1990 to 1996, representing the Labour Party.-Early life and family:According to his eldest daughter, Blincoe was born on 14 March 1952 in Nelson, New Zealand to Victor and May Blincoe. He attended Hampden St. School, Nelson College...

. When the electorate was enlarged for the , Blincoe lost against National's Nick Smith. Smith is the incumbent.

The gap between National and Labour contesting the list vote has narrowed - 43% to 36% in Labour's favour at the 2005

New Zealand general election, 2005

The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...

election versus a 45%-19% split three years earlier

New Zealand general election, 2005

. Nelson is also an electorate in which the Green Party

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...

performs better than the national average - nearly nine percent in 2002 and 7.7 percent in 2005.

1853 to 1881

From 1853 to 1881, Nelson was a two-member electorate.

Key

Election
1853 election New Zealand general election, 1853 The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 1st term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the colony, which was part of the British Empire at...	James Mackay James Mackay (New Zealand politician) James Mackay was a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the 1st New Zealand Parliament. He is remembered for the incident with Henry Sewell in Parliament in 1854.-Early life:Mackay was born in Scotland in 1804...	William Travers
1854 by-election		Samuel Stephens Samuel Stephens (New Zealand) Samuel Stephens was a 19th century New Zealand politician.He became the Member of Parliament in the 1st Parliament for the Town of Nelson from 19 June 1854, when he replaced William Travers, who had resigned on 26 May 1854 to contest the Waimea seat.He died on 26 June 1855, and the seat was left...
1855 election New Zealand general election, 1855 The 1855 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 2nd term. It was the second national election ever held in New Zealand, and the first one which elected a Parliament that had full authority to govern the colony.-Background:The first...	Alfred Domett Alfred Domett Alfred Domett, CMG was an English colonial statesman and poet. He was New Zealand's fourth Premier.-Early life:He was born at Camberwell, Surrey; his father was a ship-owner...	Edward Stafford Edward Stafford (politician) Sir Edward Stafford, KCMG served as the third Premier of New Zealand on three occasions in the mid 19th century. His total time in office is the longest of any leader without a political party. He is described as pragmatic, logical, and clear-sighted.-Early life and career:Edward William Stafford...
1861 election
1866 election New Zealand general election, 1866 The New Zealand general election of 1866 was held between 12 February and 6 April to elect 70 MPs to the fourth term of the New Zealand Parliament. 13,196 votes were cast....	Oswald Curtis Oswald Curtis Oswald Curtis was a 19th century New Zealand politician born in London, England on 20 January 1821. He was the son of Stephen Curtis and Eleanora LLewellyn. He migrated to Nelson in 1853, arriving on 18 June.- Mahomed Shah :...
1868 by-election		Nathaniel Edwards Nathaniel Edwards Nathaniel Edwards MLC was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. He arrived in Nelson in 1844 from London, England, married and had 12 children. His eldest son died in Paris in 1876 from typhoid fever. He was 19 years old.- Nathaniel Edwards and Co :Edwards was a partner of...
1871 election		Martin Lightband Martin Lightband Martin Lightband was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. Born in Worcester, England in 1831, he arrived at Nelson in 1842 on the Thomas Harrison with his parents, Mr and Mrs G W Lightband. Lightband was 10 years old when he arrived. He lived in Nelson almost his entire...
1872 by-election		David Mitchell Luckie David Luckie David Mitchell Luckie was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand.- Background :Luckie was born in Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland, on 5 October 1827. He was the son of Thomas Luckie, a merchant, and Mary Mitchell. Educated in Montrose he first worked in a mercantile office,...
1875 election		John Sharp John Sharp (New Zealand politician) John Sharp was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand and Mayor of Nelson.-Early life:Sharp was born in Maidstone, Kent, England, in 1828. He was educated at Chatham House College, Ramsgate, for the Navy for four years. However, he joined the merchant service. He was an...
1879 by-election		Acton Adams
1879 election New Zealand general election, 1879 The New Zealand general election of 1879 was held between 28 August and 15 September to elect a total of 88 MPs to the 7th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 1 and 8 September. A total number of 82,271 voters turned out to vote.The election came about when George...	Albert Pitt Albert Pitt Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon Albert Pitt was a 19th century New Zealand politician, and a cabinet minister. Pitt was born in Hobart, Tasmania. His father, Captain Pitt, was harbourmaster at Hobart. Pitt was educated in Tasmania. He studied law, started his professional career, and married a...	Acton Adams
1881 by-election		Henry Levestam Henry Levestam Henry Augustus Levestam was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. He was born in Boel, Schleswig-Holstein, when it was still part of Denmark in 1833, the son of Doctor Arnold Levestam and Henriette Fraenckel. Levestam's grandfather Matthias Levestam was born Moses Salomon...

1881 onwards

Since 1881, Nelson has been a single-member electorate.

Key

Election	Winner
		Henry Levestam Henry Levestam Henry Augustus Levestam was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand. He was born in Boel, Schleswig-Holstein, when it was still part of Denmark in 1833, the son of Doctor Arnold Levestam and Henriette Fraenckel. Levestam's grandfather Matthias Levestam was born Moses Salomon...


		Joseph Harkness Joseph Harkness Joseph George Harkness JP was a 19th century independent conservative Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand.Harkness, the son of William Harkness, was born and educated at Nelson, attending Richmond School and Nelson College . He became a school teacher for a time.Harkness dairy farmed in...

		John Graham John Graham (politician) John Graham was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.-Early life:Graham was born in Nelson in 1843, the eldest son of one of the earliest settlers of the region.-Member of Parliament:...





		Harry Atmore Harry Atmore Harry Atmore was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.Harry Atmore held the Nelson seat as an Independent for a total of thirty years from 1911 to 1914 and then from 1919 to his death in 1946...
		Thomas Field Thomas Field (politician) Thomas Andrew Hemming Field was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party. He married Jessica Black, and they had four children. His eldest son Arthur Nelson Field was a journalist and right-wing author.- Wilkins and Field :...
		Harry Atmore (2nd time)







		Edgar Neale Edgar Neale Edgar Rollo Neale OBE JP FPANZ FCIS was born in Nelson, New Zealand on 24 October 1889. He was the Mayor and member of Parliament for Nelson, a strong supporter of the Nelson railway, and a representative cricketer.-Background:...



		Stanley Whitehead Stanley Whitehead Sir Stanley Austin Whitehead was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was the fifteenth Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976, and Member of Parliament for the Nelson electorate from 1957 to 1976.-Early life and family:Whitehead was born in Reefton, on the West...






		Mel Courtney Mel Courtney Melvyn Francis Courtney is a former Labour then Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand.-Member of Parliament:...

		Philip Woollaston Philip Woollaston Hon Philip Tosswill Edmond Woollaston was a New Zealand member of Parliament of the Labour Party from 1981 to 1990 and Mayor of Nelson, New Zealand from 1992 to 1998....


		John Blincoe John Blincoe John Blincoe is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1990 to 1996, representing the Labour Party.-Early life and family:According to his eldest daughter, Blincoe was born on 14 March 1952 in Nelson, New Zealand to Victor and May Blincoe. He attended Hampden St. School, Nelson College...

		Nick Smith

List MPs from Nelson

Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Nelson electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Name	Party	Elected	Left Office
Mike Ward Mike Ward (New Zealand) Mike Ward JP is a Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand politician. He was an MP for one term from 2002-2005. He was co-leader of the Values Party from 1985 to 1988...	Green Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...	2002 New Zealand general election, 2002 The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...	2005 New Zealand general election, 2005 The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...
Maryan Street Maryan Street Maryan Street is a Member of the New Zealand Parliament for the New Zealand Labour Party. In the 2005 elections, she became the first openly lesbian woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament.-Early years:...	Labour New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....	2008 New Zealand general election, 2008 The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social... , 2011 New Zealand general election, 2011 The 2011 New Zealand general election on Saturday 26 November 2011 determined the membership of the 50th New Zealand Parliament.One hundred and twenty-one MPs were elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, 70 from single-member electorates, including one overhang seat, and 51 from party...	current

Candidates in the

|}
Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 46,301

2008 election

2005 election

2002 election

^a United Future swing is compared to the 1999 results of United NZ and Future NZ, who merged in 2000.

1999 election

External links

Electorate Profile Parliamentary Library

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