Northland 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 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...

. The electorate was established for the 1996 election and is currently not represented, after the only MP for the electorate so far, John Carter

John Carter (New Zealand)

John McGregor Carter is a New Zealand politician, and member of the National Party. He represented the Bay of Islands, Far North and Northland electorates from 1987 until June 2011...

 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:...

, left Parliament in June 2011.

Population centres

Northland is the northernmost general electorate of New Zealand. Inside its boundaries are the town of Kaitaia

Kaitaia

Kaitaia is a town in the far north region of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupouri Peninsula which is about 160 km northwest of Whangarei. It is the last major settlement on the main road north to the capes and bays on the peninsula...

, the settlements around Hokianga

Hokianga

Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as The Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand....

, the town of Kaikohe

Kaikohe

Kaikohe is the central service area for the Far North District of New Zealand, about 260 km from Auckland, situated on State Highway 12 at...

, the Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....

 including Paihia

Paihia

Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the historic towns of Russell, and Kerikeri, 60 kilometres north of Whangarei. The origin of the name Paihia is obscure. One, possibily apocryphal, attribution is to...

, Kawakawa

Kawakawa, New Zealand

Kawakawa is a small town in the Northland Region of northern New Zealand. It had a population of 1347 at the 2006 census, down from 1401 in 2001. Kawakawa developed as a service town when coal was found in the area in 1861, but there is no longer coal mining here...

, Kaeo

Kaeo

The township of Kaeo lies some 22 km northwest of Kerikeri in Northland, New Zealand. The town takes its name from the unique shellfish found in the nearby Whangaroa Harbour....

, Kerikeri

Kerikeri

Kerikeri, the largest town in the Northland Region of New Zealand, is a popular tourist destination about three hours drive north of Auckland, and 80 km north of Whangarei...

, all of Kaipara District

Kaipara District

-Geography:Kaipara District is located in the low hills around the northern shores of the Kaipara Harbour, a large natural harbour open to the Tasman Sea...

 and a small rural section of Whangarei District

Whangarei District

The Whangarei District is located in Northland, New Zealand. Whangarei is the principal town and the district seat. Other towns include Hukerenui, Hikurangi, Titoki, Ruakaka and Waipu...

. At the 2008 election, the town of Wellsford

Wellsford

Wellsford is a town in the northern North Island of New Zealand. The town is the northernmost major settlement in the Auckland Region, and is 114 kilometres northwest of Auckland City.....

 became part of Northland due to heavy population growth in the Rodney

Rodney (New Zealand electorate)

rightRodney is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Rodney is Mark Mitchell of the National Party...

 seat.

History

The Northland electorate was created ahead of the introduction of Mixed Member Proportional voting in 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...

. It contains all of the Far North electorate

Far North (New Zealand electorate)

-Population Centres:The electorate includes the following population centres:* -History:The electorate only existed from 1993 to 1996. It was previously known as the Bay of Islands electorate from 1978 to 1993, and from 1996 has been known as the Northland electorate.-Election...

 (called
Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands (New Zealand electorate)

Bay of Islands is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It existed during various periods between 1853 and 1993.-Population centres:...

 before 1993), and a large section of the old Hobson

Hobson (New Zealand electorate)

-Population Centres:The electorate is in the Northland Region, and includes the following population centres:-History:The Hobson electorate existed from 1946 , to 1978 when the name reverted back to Bay of Islands...

 seat.

Former Bay of Islands and then Far North MP John Carter

John Carter (New Zealand)

John McGregor Carter is a New Zealand politician, and member of the National Party. He represented the Bay of Islands, Far North and Northland electorates from 1987 until June 2011...

 was elected MP for Northland in , and was returned at every election until the . Carter left Parliament in June 2011 to take up a post as New Zealand's High Commissioner

High Commissioner

High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...

 to the Cook Islands

Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...

. His departure did not result in a by-election, as the vacancy occurred within six months of the next general election.

The electorate is one where National traditionally performs well; Labour has not won a general electorate north of Wellsford since a one-off victory in Whangarei

Whangarei (New Zealand electorate)

rightWhangarei is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.National Party MP Phil Heatley has held it since 2008.-Population Centres:The electorate includes the following population centres:* Whangarei* Hikurangi* Ruakaka...

 in 1972

New Zealand general election, 1972

The New Zealand general election of 1972 was held to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.-Background:...

. The upper North Island is also a place where New Zealand First

New Zealand First

New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...

 has one of its strongest voter bases; in 1996, Ian Peters

Ian Peters

Ian Peters was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.He represented the Tongariro electorate in Parliament from 1990 to 1993, when he was defeated by Mark Burton...

 and Frank Grover

Frank Grover

Frank Grover is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1996 to 1999, representing first the Alliance and then the Christian Heritage Party in the House of Representatives.-The Liberals:...

 of the Alliance beat Labour's candidate into fourth place and nine percent of the vote. Third parties do well in Northland - at the 1960

New Zealand general election, 1960

The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 33rd term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the National Party, putting an end to the short second Labour government.-Background:...

 and 1963

New Zealand general election, 1963

The 1963 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 34th term. The results were almost identical to those for the previous election, and the governing National Party remained in office....

 elections, Social Credit

Social Credit Party (New Zealand)

The New Zealand Social Credit Party was a political party which served as the country's "third party" from the 1950s through into the 1980s. The party held a number of seats in the New Zealand Parliament, although never more than two at a time...

 candidate Vernon Cracknell

Vernon Cracknell

Vernon Francis Cracknell was a New Zealand politician. Initially working as an accountant, he became involved in politics through the Social Credit Party, a group dedicated to the social credit theory of monetary reform...

 came runner up in Hobson , before taking the seat with 48 percent of the vote in 1966

New Zealand general election, 1966

The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 35th term. It saw the governing National Party win a third consecutive term in office...

. The area had previously been receptive to social credit theory - Harold Rushworth

Harold Rushworth

Harold Montague Rushworth was a New Zealand politician of the Country Party.-Early life:Rushworth was born in Croydon, England and was educated at Rugby School and Jesus College, Oxford, graduating with a degree in law. He became a civil engineer and surveyor and worked for the London County...

 of the credit-influenced Country Party

Country Party (New Zealand)

The Country Party of New Zealand was a political party which based itself around rural voters. It was represented in Parliament from 1928 to 1938. Its policies were a mixture of rural advocacy and social credit theory....

 had held Bay of Islands for three terms, from 1928

New Zealand general election, 1928

The New Zealand general election of 1928 was held on Tuesday, 13 November in the Māori electorates, and on Wednesday, 14 November in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament...

 to 1938

New Zealand general election, 1938

The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 26th term. It resulted in the governing Labour Party being re-elected, although the newly-founded National Party gained a certain amount of ground.-Background:The Labour Party had won...

.

Members of Parliament for Northland

Key

Election	Winner
		John Carter John Carter (New Zealand) John McGregor Carter is a New Zealand politician, and member of the National Party. He represented the Bay of Islands, Far North and Northland electorates from 1987 until June 2011...

List MPs from Northland

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

Name	Party	First Elected	Left Office	Contested Northland
Frank Grover Frank Grover Frank Grover is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1996 to 1999, representing first the Alliance and then the Christian Heritage Party in the House of Representatives.-The Liberals:... 1	Alliance Alliance (New Zealand political party) The Alliance is a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1991, and was influential in the 1990s, but has since declined and has no representation in parliament. It suffered a major setback after Jim Anderton, the party's leader, left the party in 2002, taking several of the...	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...	1999 New Zealand general election, 1999 The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...	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...
Sue Bradford Sue Bradford Sue Bradford is a New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009.- Early life :...	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...	1999 New Zealand general election, 1999 The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...	2009	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...
Jim Peters	New Zealand First New Zealand First New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...	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...	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...
Shane Jones Shane Jones Shane Geoffrey Jones is a New Zealand politician. He was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.-Early life:Jones is Māori, of Te Aupōuri and Ngai Takoto descent, as well as having Dalmatian ancestry...	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....	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...	Current MP	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... , 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...

¹ Grover left the Alliance in 1999 and joined the Christian Heritage Party.

Candidates in the

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Retired incumbent

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Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 43,628

2008 election

2005 election

External links

• Electorate Profile Parliamentary Library