Awarua (electorate)

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European population had increased by 65%. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of European representatives to 91 (up from 84 since the 1875–76 election). The number of Māori electorates was held at four. The House further decided that electorates should not have more than one representative, which led to 22 new electorates being formed, including Awarua, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.^[1]

This electorate was in the rural part of Southland. In its original form, it covered the area around the town of Invercargill, which had its own electorate. Bluff fell into Awarua, and all of Stewart Island / Rakiura.^[2] On the mainland, Awarua had taken area from Riverton (which was abolished) and from Mataura (which moved to the east and north). Stewart Island had previously belonged to Wallace.^[3]

The electorate was established in 1881. It was represented by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward from 1887 to 1919. Philip De La Perrelle announced his retirement due to ill health in August 1935.^[4] He died within days of the 1935 election^[5] and was succeeded by James Hargest.^[6]

In the 1996 election, the first MMP election, the electorate was absorbed into the adjacent Invercargill electorate.