Selwyn is the name of three seats in the 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...

 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...

, based around towns on the outskirts of Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

 city. In an historical sense, the name refers to an electorate that existed between 1866

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....

 and 1919. In the second sense, it can refer to an electorate contested between 1946

New Zealand general election, 1946

The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 28th term. It saw the governing Labour Party re-elected, but by a substantially narrower margin than in the three previous elections...

 and 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:...

 and again from 1978

New Zealand general election, 1978

The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, although the opposition Labour Party managed to win the largest share of the vote...

 until it was absorbed by Rakaia

Rakaia (New Zealand electorate)

Rakaia was a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region from 1972 to 1978 and 1993 to 2008.The seat was held by Brian Connell MP from 2002 to 2008.-Population Centres:The electorate included the following population centres:* Ashburton...

 for the first MMP

Mixed member proportional representation

Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...

 election 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...

.

In a modern sense, the name refers to the seat re-created ahead of the 2008 general election

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...

, following a review of electoral boundaries conducted after the 2006 census of population and dwellings, because of a general northwards population movement in the South Island. Even though the number of South Island electorates is fixed, the decline in the population of electorates from Rakaia south has resulted in the boundaries of electorates from Invercargill

Invercargill (New Zealand electorate)

Invercargill is an electorate of the Parliament of New Zealand that has existed since 1866. The current representative is Eric Roy.-Population centres:The electorate covers Invercargill city and the surrounding rural area, including Stewart Island / Rakiura...

 north to Rakaia shifting further northwards.

The new Selwyn seat is the successor to the old seat of Rakaia, which loses the town of Ashburton

Ashburton, New Zealand

Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury Region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the...

 to Rangitata. It keeps the towns north of the Rakaia River and acquires the Bishopdale area from Waimakariri

Waimakariri (New Zealand electorate)

Waimakariri is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, formed in 1996 and returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Waimakariri is Clayton Cosgrove of the Labour Party. He has held this position since the 1999 election...

 and the Banks Peninsula town of Akaroa

Akaroa

Akaroa is a village on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name—the name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for 'Long Harbour'.- Overview :...

 from the old Banks Peninsula

Banks Peninsula (New Zealand electorate)

Banks Peninsula was a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate from 1996 to 2008.It was held by Ruth Dyson MP from 1999 to 2008.-Population centres:The electorate included the following population centres:* Opawa* Cashmere* Halswell* Lyttelton* Akaroa...

 electorate. The main towns in the new seat are Templeton

Templeton, New Zealand

Templeton is a small town on the outskirts of Christchurch but part of the Selwyn District. It lies on State Highway 1. It has been the centre of harness racing in Canterbury with many famous names such as Devine, Nyan, Butt, Jones and Carmichael among its people.Its European history goes to over...

, Lincoln

Lincoln, New Zealand

Lincoln is a town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, New Zealand. The town has a population of 2,727.-Location:It is located on the Canterbury Plains to the west of Banks Peninsula, 22 kilometres south of Christchurch.-History:...

, Prebbleton

Prebbleton

Prebbleton is a small town in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It is 11 km southwest of the centre of Christchurch and about 2 km south of the outlying industrial suburb of Hornby....

, Tai Tapu, Leeston

Leeston

Leeston is a small town on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 40 kilometres southwest of Christchurch, between the shore of Lake Ellesmere and the mouth of the Rakaia River...

, Dunsandel

Dunsandel

Dunsandel is a small rural township in the Canterbury Region of the South Island, New Zealand. The town is located on the Canterbury Plains just south of the Selwyn River and about 40 km south of Christchurch. Dunsandel is a junction town on SH1, halfway between Christchurch and Ashburton,...

, Darfield

Darfield, New Zealand

Darfield is a town in the Selwyn District of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 35 kilometres west from the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand on State Highway 73 and the town is on the Midland railway line, route of the famous TranzAlpine train service...

, Springfield

Springfield, New Zealand

Springfield is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. In 2001 it had a population of 219. At the foot of the Southern Alps, west of Christchurch, it is the most westerly town of the central Canterbury Plains...

 and Arthur's Pass

Arthur's Pass

Arthur's Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. It marks part of the boundary between the West Coast and Canterbury regions, 140 km from Christchurch and 95 km from Greymouth. The pass lies in a saddle between the valleys of the Otira River, a...

 from Rakaia along with Halswell, Westmorland, and rural Banks Peninsula from Banks Peninsula. The incumbent MP is Amy Adams

Amy Adams (politician)

Amy Adams is a member of the New Zealand Parliament. She currently represents the Selwyn electorate and is a member of the National Party.-Private life:...

 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:...

.

Members of Parliament

Key

Election	Winner
		Edward Stevens Edward Cephas John Stevens Edward Cephas John Stevens MLC was a New Zealand politician in provincial government in Canterbury, and a member of both the lower and upper houses of parliament. A businessman, he controlled the Christchurch Press for many decades...
		William Reeves William Reeves (journalist) William Reeves was a New Zealand 19th century journalist and politician. He was the father of the author and politician the Hon. William Pember Reeves....
1875 election		Cecil Fitzroy Cecil Fitzroy Cecil Augustus Fitzroy was a 19th century Member of Parliament from the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.He represented the Selwyn electorate from 1875 to 1879, when he retired.-References:...
		John Hall
		Edward James Lee Edward James Lee Edward James Lee was a 19th century Member of Parliament from the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.He represented the Selwyn electorate in 1883, from 6 April to 18 December, when he died.-References:...
		Edward Wakefield Edward Wakefield (politician) Edward Wakefield was the son of Felix Wakefield, one of Edward Gibbon Wakefield’s younger brothers. Edward was born in Launceston, Tasmania, brought up in New Zealand, and educated in France and at King's College, London.He married Agnes Hall....
		John Hall
		Alfred Saunders Alfred Saunders Alfred Saunders was a 19th century New Zealand politician.He was elected onto the Nelson Provincial Council representing Waimea South in 1855 and remained a councillor until his election of Superintendent for the Nelson Province from 1865 to 1867. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Waimea...
		Cathcart Wason Cathcart Wason Cathcart Wason , generally known as Cathcart Wason, was a Scottish farmer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in two countries: first in New Zealand and then in Scotland, after the failure of his colonial ventures...
		Charles Hardy Charles Albert Creery Hardy Charles Albert Creery Hardy was an independent conservative Member of Parliament in New Zealand.He was elected to the Selwyn electorate in the 1899 general election, but was defeated in 1911, when he was a candidate for the then newly formed Reform Party.He was later appointed to the Legislative...
		William Dickie William Dickie William James Dickie was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. And opposition Whip.He won the Selwyn electorate in 1911, and again in December 1914 the seat was abolished for the 1919 election, and was defeated in 1919 for Ashburton....
(Electorate abolished 1919–1946)
		John McAlpine John McAlpine Sir John Kenneth McAlpine, KCMG was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was the Member of Parliament for Selwyn from 1946 to 1966, when he retired....
		Colin McLachlan Colin McLachlan Colin Campbell Alexander McLachlan was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. A farmer by profession, he was the Member of Parliament for Selwyn 1966–72, Rakaia 1972–78, then Selwyn again 1978–81, when he retired....
(Electorate abolished 1972–1978, see )
		Colin McLachlan Colin McLachlan Colin Campbell Alexander McLachlan was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. A farmer by profession, he was the Member of Parliament for Selwyn 1966–72, Rakaia 1972–78, then Selwyn again 1978–81, when he retired....
		Ruth Richardson Ruth Richardson Ruth Richardson served as New Zealand's Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993, and is known for her strong pursuit of free-market economic reforms .-Early life:...
		David Carter David Carter (politician) David Cunningham Carter is a New Zealand politician, currently a government cabinet minister. He is a member of the National Party.-Early life:...
(Electorate abolished 1996–2008, see )
		Amy Adams Amy Adams (politician) Amy Adams is a member of the New Zealand Parliament. She currently represents the Selwyn electorate and is a member of the National Party.-Private life:...

Candidates in the

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Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 46,345

2008 election

External links

• Electorate Profile from Elections NZ