An electorate or electoral district (Māori: rohe pōti) is a geographical constituency used for electing a member (MP) to the New Zealand Parliament.[1] The size of electorates is determined such that all electorates have approximately the same population.
Before 1996, all MPs were directly chosen for office by the voters of an electorate. In New Zealand's electoral system, 72 of the usually 120 seats in Parliament are filled by electorate members, with the remainder being filled from party lists in order to achieve proportional representation among parties. The 72 electorates are made up from 65 general and seven Māori electorates. The number of electorates increases periodically in line with national population growth; the number was increased from 71 to 72 starting at the 2020 general election.
The Electoral Act 1993 refers to electorates as "electoral districts".[1] Electorates are informally referred to as "seats", but technically the term seat refers to an elected member's place in Parliament.[2][n 1]
Distribution
As of 2018[update] the Representation Commission determines electorate boundaries.[3] The Commission consists of:
Four government officials—the Government Statistician, the Surveyor-General, the Chief Electoral Officer, and the Chairperson of the Local Government Commission.
A representative of the governing party or coalition, and a representative of the opposition bloc.
A chairperson (often a judge) nominated by the other members (with the exception of Chairperson of the Local Government Commission).[3]
The Representation Commission reviews electorate boundaries after each New Zealand census, which normally occurs every five years.[1] The South Island is guaranteed to have 16 general electorates, and dividing the number of persons in the South Island's general electoral population by 16 determines the South Island Quota which is then used to help calculate the number of Māori electorates and to determine the number of North Island electorates. The number of Māori electorates is influenced by the Māori Electoral Option where Māori voters can opt to be in either a Māori electorate or a general electorate. The percentage of Māori voters opting for the Māori roll determines the percentage of the whole Māori population (of persons claiming Māori ancestry at the previous census) which is then divided by the South Island Quota to calculate the number of Māori electorates. South Island Māori opting for the general roll are included in the population on which the South Island Quota is established. The North Island population (including Māori opting for the general roll) is divided into electorates, each of approximately the same population as the South Island ones.[4] Electorates may vary by no more than 5% of the average population size.[1] This has caused the number of list seats in Parliament to decline as the population is experiencing "northern drift" (i.e. the population of the North Island, especially around Auckland, is growing faster than that of the South Island) due both to internal migration and to immigration.[5]
Although the New Zealand Parliament is intended to have 120 members, some terms have exceeded this quantity. Overhang seats arise when a party win more seats via electorates than their proportion of the party vote entitles them to; other parties are still awarded the same number of seats that they are entitled to, which results in more than 120 seats in total.[6] In 2005 and 2011, 121 members were elected; 122 members were elected in 2008.[7]
History
Originally, electorates were drawn up by the Representation Commission based on political and social links, with little consideration for differences in population. Elections for the New Zealand House of Representatives in the 1850s modelled the electoral procedures used for the British House of Commons, which at that time featured both single-member electorates (electorates returning just one MP) and multi-member electorates (electorates returning more than one MP).[8] Each electorate was allocated a different number of MPs (up to three) in order to balance population differences. All electorates used a plurality voting system.[9] From 1881, a special country quota meant that rural seats could contain fewer people than urban seats, preserving improportionality by over-representing farmers.[10][need quotation to verify] For the 1905 election the multi-member electorates were abolished. The quota system persisted until 1945.[8]
Because of the increasing North Island population, the Representation Commission awarded the North Island an additional electoral seat beginning in the 2008 general election.[11] Another new North Island seat was added for the 2014 general election,[12] and again for the 2020 general election (with one new electorate in Auckland).[13] Each time, the need for an additional seat was determined from the results of the most recent New Zealand census, with the seat coming out of the total number of list seats. The total number of list seats has thus declined from 55 to 48 since the introduction of mixed-member proportional voting in the 1996 general election.
Naming conventions
The Representation Commission determines the names of each electorate following the most recent census.[3] An electorate may be named after a geographic region, landmark (e.g. a mountain) or main population area. The Commission adopts compass point names when there is not a more suitable name. The compass point reference usually follows the name of the main population centre, e.g. Hamilton East.
Over the years, there have been two types of "special" electorates created for particular communities. The first were special goldminers' electorates, created for participants in the Otago Goldrush—goldminers did not usually meet the residency and property requirements in the electorate they were prospecting in, but were numerous enough to warrant political representation. Two goldminers' electorates existed, the first began in 1863 and both ended in 1870.
Māori electorates
Much more durable have been the Māori electorates, created in 1867 to give separate representation to Māori citizens. Although originally intended to be temporary, they came to function as reserved positions for Māori until 1967, ensuring that there would always be a Māori voice in Parliament. In 1967 the reserved status of the Maori seats was removed, allowing non-Maori to stand in the Maori electorates, thus removing any guarantee that Maori would be elected to Parliament. Until 1993 the number of Māori electorates was fixed at four, significantly under-representing Māori in Parliament. In 1975 the definition of who could opt to register on either the general or the māori roll was expanded to include all persons of Māori descent.[14] Previously all persons of more than 50% Māori ancestry were on the Māori roll while persons of less than 50% Māori ancestry were required to enrol on the then European roll. Only persons presumed to have equal Māori and European ancestry (so-called half-castes) had a choice of roll.[15] Since the introduction of MMP, the number of seats can change with the number of Māori voters who choose to go on the Māori roll rather than the general roll.
Electorates in the 53rd Parliament
General electorates since 2020, showing the 2020 election results
Electoral districts in the 2020 general election for the 53rd Parliament reflect changes made in the Representation Commission’s 2019/2020 boundary review. As well as new boundaries for many districts, the names of ten electorates have been changed, and one new electorate (Takanini) has been created.[16] While some changes were made to the boundaries of the Māori electorates, their names and general area remain the same as in the 52nd Parliament.
^Historically the only way to gain a seat in Parliament was to win an electorate, but under the present MMP system, MPs selected from party lists—called list MPs—are able to gain a seat without representing an electorate.
References
^ abcd"Electoral Act 1993 No 87 (as at 01 July 2016), Public Act Contents". www.legislation.govt.nz. New Zealand Legislation. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
^See "Terminology". www.parliament.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^Roberts, Nigel S. (17 February 2015). "Electoral systems - Turning votes into seats". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 October 2018. Both the single-member and the multi-member districts were instances of plurality voting systems, because candidates did not need a majority of the votes (more than half) to be elected. They required only a plurality – more votes than any of the other candidates – to win.
^Atkinson, Neill (2003). Adventures in democracy: a history of the vote in New Zealand. Dunedin: University of Otago Press. p. 76. ISBN9781877276583.
^(PDF). elections.org.nz. Representation Commission. 2007. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
^. elections.org.nz. Electoral Commission. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
^"What are electorates?". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2022. In the 2020 general election, there will be seven Māori electorates and 65 general electorates—including one new electorate in Auckland.
^"Electoral Amendment Act 1975". Retrieved 10 March 2014.
^"Boundary Review 2019/20". Elections. Electoral Commission New Zealand. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
External links
Electoral profiles, produced by the Parliamentary Library, New Zealand Parliament.
, produced by the Parliamentary Library, run by the Electoral Commission, the Electoral Enrolment Centre, the Representation Commission, and the Justice Sector.
March 18, 2023
zealand, electorates, electorate, electoral, district, māori, rohe, pōti, geographical, constituency, used, electing, member, zealand, parliament, size, electorates, determined, such, that, electorates, have, approximately, same, population, before, 1996, were. An electorate or electoral district Maori rohe pōti is a geographical constituency used for electing a member MP to the New Zealand Parliament 1 The size of electorates is determined such that all electorates have approximately the same population Before 1996 all MPs were directly chosen for office by the voters of an electorate In New Zealand s electoral system 72 of the usually 120 seats in Parliament are filled by electorate members with the remainder being filled from party lists in order to achieve proportional representation among parties The 72 electorates are made up from 65 general and seven Maori electorates The number of electorates increases periodically in line with national population growth the number was increased from 71 to 72 starting at the 2020 general election Contents 1 Terminology 2 Distribution 2 1 History 3 Naming conventions 4 Special electorates 4 1 Maori electorates 5 Electorates in the 53rd Parliament 5 1 General electorates 5 2 Maori electorates 6 Abolished electorates 6 1 General electorates 6 2 Maori electorates 6 3 Goldminers electorates 7 Explanatory note 8 References 9 External linksTerminology EditThe Electoral Act 1993 refers to electorates as electoral districts 1 Electorates are informally referred to as seats but technically the term seat refers to an elected member s place in Parliament 2 n 1 Distribution EditAs of 2018 update the Representation Commission determines electorate boundaries 3 The Commission consists of Four government officials the Government Statistician the Surveyor General the Chief Electoral Officer and the Chairperson of the Local Government Commission A representative of the governing party or coalition and a representative of the opposition bloc A chairperson often a judge nominated by the other members with the exception of Chairperson of the Local Government Commission 3 The Representation Commission reviews electorate boundaries after each New Zealand census which normally occurs every five years 1 The South Island is guaranteed to have 16 general electorates and dividing the number of persons in the South Island s general electoral population by 16 determines the South Island Quota which is then used to help calculate the number of Maori electorates and to determine the number of North Island electorates The number of Maori electorates is influenced by the Maori Electoral Option where Maori voters can opt to be in either a Maori electorate or a general electorate The percentage of Maori voters opting for the Maori roll determines the percentage of the whole Maori population of persons claiming Maori ancestry at the previous census which is then divided by the South Island Quota to calculate the number of Maori electorates South Island Maori opting for the general roll are included in the population on which the South Island Quota is established The North Island population including Maori opting for the general roll is divided into electorates each of approximately the same population as the South Island ones 4 Electorates may vary by no more than 5 of the average population size 1 This has caused the number of list seats in Parliament to decline as the population is experiencing northern drift i e the population of the North Island especially around Auckland is growing faster than that of the South Island due both to internal migration and to immigration 5 Although the New Zealand Parliament is intended to have 120 members some terms have exceeded this quantity Overhang seats arise when a party win more seats via electorates than their proportion of the party vote entitles them to other parties are still awarded the same number of seats that they are entitled to which results in more than 120 seats in total 6 In 2005 and 2011 121 members were elected 122 members were elected in 2008 7 History Edit Originally electorates were drawn up by the Representation Commission based on political and social links with little consideration for differences in population Elections for the New Zealand House of Representatives in the 1850s modelled the electoral procedures used for the British House of Commons which at that time featured both single member electorates electorates returning just one MP and multi member electorates electorates returning more than one MP 8 Each electorate was allocated a different number of MPs up to three in order to balance population differences All electorates used a plurality voting system 9 From 1881 a special country quota meant that rural seats could contain fewer people than urban seats preserving improportionality by over representing farmers 10 need quotation to verify For the 1905 election the multi member electorates were abolished The quota system persisted until 1945 8 Because of the increasing North Island population the Representation Commission awarded the North Island an additional electoral seat beginning in the 2008 general election 11 Another new North Island seat was added for the 2014 general election 12 and again for the 2020 general election with one new electorate in Auckland 13 Each time the need for an additional seat was determined from the results of the most recent New Zealand census with the seat coming out of the total number of list seats The total number of list seats has thus declined from 55 to 48 since the introduction of mixed member proportional voting in the 1996 general election Naming conventions EditThe Representation Commission determines the names of each electorate following the most recent census 3 An electorate may be named after a geographic region landmark e g a mountain or main population area The Commission adopts compass point names when there is not a more suitable name The compass point reference usually follows the name of the main population centre e g Hamilton East Special electorates EditFurther information on the historic qualifications required to vote History of voting in New Zealand Over the years there have been two types of special electorates created for particular communities The first were special goldminers electorates created for participants in the Otago Goldrush goldminers did not usually meet the residency and property requirements in the electorate they were prospecting in but were numerous enough to warrant political representation Two goldminers electorates existed the first began in 1863 and both ended in 1870 Maori electorates Edit Much more durable have been the Maori electorates created in 1867 to give separate representation to Maori citizens Although originally intended to be temporary they came to function as reserved positions for Maori until 1967 ensuring that there would always be a Maori voice in Parliament In 1967 the reserved status of the Maori seats was removed allowing non Maori to stand in the Maori electorates thus removing any guarantee that Maori would be elected to Parliament Until 1993 the number of Maori electorates was fixed at four significantly under representing Maori in Parliament In 1975 the definition of who could opt to register on either the general or the maori roll was expanded to include all persons of Maori descent 14 Previously all persons of more than 50 Maori ancestry were on the Maori roll while persons of less than 50 Maori ancestry were required to enrol on the then European roll Only persons presumed to have equal Maori and European ancestry so called half castes had a choice of roll 15 Since the introduction of MMP the number of seats can change with the number of Maori voters who choose to go on the Maori roll rather than the general roll Electorates in the 53rd Parliament Edit General electorates since 2020 showing the 2020 election results Electoral districts in the 2020 general election for the 53rd Parliament reflect changes made in the Representation Commission s 2019 2020 boundary review As well as new boundaries for many districts the names of ten electorates have been changed and one new electorate Takanini has been created 16 While some changes were made to the boundaries of the Maori electorates their names and general area remain the same as in the 52nd Parliament General electorates Edit Electorate Region MP PartyAuckland Central Auckland Chloe Swarbrick GreenBanks Peninsula formerly Port Hills Canterbury Tracey McLellan LabourBay of Plenty Bay of Plenty Todd Muller NationalBotany Auckland Christopher Luxon NationalChristchurch Central Canterbury Duncan Webb LabourChristchurch East Canterbury Poto Williams LabourCoromandel Waikato Scott Simpson NationalDunedin formerly Dunedin North Otago David Clark LabourEast Coast Gisborne and Bay of Plenty Kiri Allan LabourEast Coast Bays Auckland Erica Stanford NationalEpsom Auckland David Seymour ACTHamilton East Waikato Jamie Strange LabourHamilton West Waikato Tama Potaka NationalHutt South Wellington Ginny Andersen LabourIlam Canterbury Sarah Pallett LabourInvercargill Southland Penny Simmonds NationalKaikōura Marlborough and Canterbury Stuart Smith NationalKaipara ki Mahurangi formerly Helensville Auckland Chris Penk NationalKelston Auckland Carmel Sepuloni LabourMana Wellington Barbara Edmonds LabourMangere Auckland William Sio LabourManurewa Auckland Arena Williams LabourMaungakiekie Auckland Priyanca Radhakrishnan LabourMt Albert Auckland Jacinda Ardern LabourMt Roskill Auckland Michael Wood LabourNapier Hawke s Bay Stuart Nash LabourNelson Nelson and Tasman Rachel Boyack LabourNew Lynn Auckland Deborah Russell LabourNew Plymouth Taranaki Glen Bennett LabourNorth Shore Auckland Simon Watts NationalNorthcote Auckland Shanan Halbert LabourNorthland Northland Willow Jean Prime LabourŌhariu Wellington Greg O Connor LabourŌtaki Wellington and Manawatu Whanganui Terisa Ngobi LabourPakuranga Auckland Simeon Brown NationalPalmerston North Manawatu Whanganui Tangi Utikere LabourPanmure Ōtahuhu formerly Manukau East Auckland Jenny Salesa LabourPapakura Auckland Judith Collins NationalPort Waikato formerly Hunua Auckland and Waikato Andrew Bayly NationalRangitata Canterbury Jo Luxton LabourRangitikei Manawatu Whanganui Ian McKelvie NationalRemutaka formerly Rimutaka Wellington Chris Hipkins LabourRongotai Wellington and the Chatham Islands Paul Eagle LabourRotorua Bay of Plenty Todd McClay NationalSelwyn Canterbury Nicola Grigg NationalSouthland formerly Clutha Southland Southland and Otago Joseph Mooney NationalTaieri formerly Dunedin South Otago Ingrid Leary LabourTakanini Auckland Neru Leavasa LabourTamaki Auckland Simon O Connor NationalTaranaki King Country Taranaki and Waikato Barbara Kuriger NationalTaupō Waikato Louise Upston NationalTauranga Bay of Plenty Sam Uffindell NationalTe Atatu Auckland Phil Twyford LabourTukituki Hawke s Bay Anna Lorck LabourUpper Harbour Auckland Vanushi Walters LabourWaikato Waikato Tim van de Molen NationalWaimakariri Canterbury Matt Doocey NationalWairarapa Wellington Manawatu Whanganui and Hawke s Bay Kieran McAnulty LabourWaitaki Otago and Canterbury Jacqui Dean NationalWellington Central Wellington Grant Robertson LabourWest Coast Tasman West Coast and Tasman Damien O Connor LabourWhanganui Manawatu Whanganui and Taranaki Steph Lewis LabourWhangaparaoa formerly Rodney Auckland Mark Mitchell NationalWhangarei formerly Whangarei Northland Emily Henderson LabourWigram Canterbury Megan Woods LabourMaori electorates Edit Maori Electorates since the 2020 election Red represent Labour seats brown represents Maori Party seats Electorate Region MP PartyTe Tai Tokerau Northland and Auckland Kelvin Davis LabourTamaki Makaurau Auckland Peeni Henare LabourHauraki Waikato Auckland and Waikato Nanaia Mahuta LabourWaiariki Bay of Plenty and Waikato Rawiri Waititi MaoriIkaroa Rawhiti Hawke s Bay Gisborne Manawatu Whanganui and Wellington Meka Whaitiri LabourTe Tai Hauauru Taranaki Waikato Manawatu Whanganui and Wellington Adrian Rurawhe LabourTe Tai Tonga The South Island Wellington and the Chatham Islands Rino Tirikatene LabourAbolished electorates EditMain article List of New Zealand electorates General electorates Edit Electorates in New Zealand have changed extensively since 1853 typically to meet changing population distributions Boundaries were last changed in 2019 and 2020 for the 2020 election with Clutha Southland Dunedin North Dunedin South Helensville Hunua Manukau East Port Hills and Rodney being abolished and replaced either by new electorates or by surrounding electoral districts Maori electorates Edit Eastern Maori Hauraki Northern Maori Southern Maori Tainui Te Puku O Te Whenua Te Tai Rawhiti Western Maori Goldminers electorates Edit Goldfields 1862 1870 Gold Field Towns 1865 1870 Westland Boroughs 1866 1870 Explanatory note Edit Historically the only way to gain a seat in Parliament was to win an electorate but under the present MMP system MPs selected from party lists called list MPs are able to gain a seat without representing an electorate References Edit a b c d Electoral Act 1993 No 87 as at 01 July 2016 Public Act Contents www legislation govt nz New Zealand Legislation Retrieved 9 February 2017 See Terminology www parliament tas gov au Retrieved 6 March 2022 a b c Representation Commission elections org nz Electoral Commission New Zealand Archived from the original on 22 January 2019 Retrieved 9 February 2017 Calculating future Maori and General Electorates Electoral Commission New Zealand 1 October 2013 Archived from the original on 5 October 2013 Retrieved 2 October 2013 Proportion of electorate seats to list seats PDF elections org nz Electoral Commission Archived from the original PDF on 25 January 2019 Retrieved 9 February 2017 Mixed Member Electoral Systems the best of both worlds Oxford Oxford University Press 2001 p 24 ISBN 0191528978 Overhang PDF elections org nz Electoral Commission Archived from the original PDF on 2 May 2017 Retrieved 9 February 2017 a b Roberts Nigel S 20 June 2012 Electoral systems Turning votes into seats Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Retrieved 9 February 2017 Roberts Nigel S 17 February 2015 Electoral systems Turning votes into seats Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Retrieved 16 October 2018 Both the single member and the multi member districts were instances of plurality voting systems because candidates did not need a majority of the votes more than half to be elected They required only a plurality more votes than any of the other candidates to win Atkinson Neill 2003 Adventures in democracy a history of the vote in New Zealand Dunedin University of Otago Press p 76 ISBN 9781877276583 Report of the Representation Commission 2007 PDF elections org nz Representation Commission 2007 p 4 Archived from the original PDF on 23 January 2019 Retrieved 3 September 2014 2014 Electorate Boundaries Key Changes elections org nz Electoral Commission 17 April 2014 Archived from the original on 26 January 2019 Retrieved 3 September 2014 What are electorates www parliament nz New Zealand Parliament 17 April 2020 Retrieved 6 March 2022 In the 2020 general election there will be seven Maori electorates and 65 general electorates including one new electorate in Auckland Electoral Amendment Act 1975 Retrieved 10 March 2014 Electoral Act 1956 Retrieved 10 March 2014 Boundary Review 2019 20 Elections Electoral Commission New Zealand 17 April 2020 Retrieved 6 September 2020 External links EditElectoral profiles produced by the Parliamentary Library New Zealand Parliament Map of electorates with boundaries produced by the Parliamentary Library run by the Electoral Commission the Electoral Enrolment Centre the Representation Commission and the Justice Sector Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title New Zealand electorates amp oldid 1126797900, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
