Egmont (New Zealand electorate)
Former electorate in Taranaki, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Egmont is a former New Zealand electorate, in south Taranaki. It existed from 1871 to 1978.
Geographic coverage
Egmont is the old name of the mountain that is the Taranaki landmark of Mount Taranaki. A village north of the mountain is also called Egmont.
History
This rural electorate was formed in 1871.[1] Mount Egmont, after which it is named, was confiscated from Māori by the New Zealand Government under the powers of the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863, following the Second Taranaki War.
William Gisborne was the first elected representative in 1871, elected unopposed. He was a minister in the third Fox Ministry and resigned from Parliament when the government fell on 10 September 1872.[2][3] Harry Atkinson won the resulting 1872 by-election. He held the electorate until 1891, when he resigned.[4] During this time, he was Premier on four occasions.
Atkinson's resignation caused the 1891 by-election, which was won by Felix McGuire.[5] He held the electorate until 1896,[6] when he (successfully) stood for the Hawera electorate instead.[7] He was succeeded by Walter Symes from 1896 until 1902, when he (successfully) stood for Patea.[8]
The 1902 election was unusual in that two of the candidates died during the election campaign. The first one was John Elliot, who had narrowly lost the 1890 election against Edward Smith. Elliot died on 14 September; the Taranaki Herald had picked him as the likely winner of the 1902 contest.[9] Elliot's death resulted in Richmond Hursthouse putting his name forward, only for him to die on 11 November.[10] The election was contested between William Thomas Jennings and Charles Leech, with the former winning by seven votes following a recount.[11] Jennings represented the electorate until 1908, when he (successfully) stood for Taumarunui.[12]
Bradshaw Dive was elected in 1908 and held the electorate for one term.[13] He was defeated in 1911 by Thomas Mackenzie, who resigned in 1912.[14] Charles Wilkinson won the resulting 1912 by-election and retired in 1919. He was succeeded by Oswald Hawken, who won the 1919 election, but was defeated in 1928 by Wilkinson coming out of his retirement. This time, Wilkinson held the electorate until 1943, when he retired for good.
The electorate was then held by three members of the National Party; Ernest Corbett (1943–57), William Sheat (1957–66) and Venn Young (1966–78).
Egmont was abolished in 1978, and was replaced by the Waitotara electorate.
Members of Parliament
Egmont was represented by twelve Members of Parliament:
Key
Independent Conservative Liberal Reform National
Election results
1931 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Charles Wilkinson | 4,409 | 58.71 | ||
| Reform | Frederick Gawith | 3,101 | 41.29 | ||
| Majority | 1,308 | 17.42 | |||
| Informal votes | 27 | 0.36 | |||
| Turnout | 7,537 | 85.71 | |||
| Registered electors | 8,794 | ||||
1928 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Charles Wilkinson | 4,577 | 58.17 | ||
| Reform | Oswald Hawken | 3,291 | 41.83 | ||
| Majority | 1,286 | 16.34 | |||
| Informal votes | 55 | 0.69 | |||
| Turnout | 7,923 | 91.46 | |||
| Registered electors | 8,663 | ||||
1912 by-election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Charles Wilkinson | 2,721 | 55.9 | ||
| Liberal | David Lyon Abbott Astbury[18] | 2,139 | 43.9 | ||
| Informal votes | 11 | 0.20 | |||
| Majority | 582 | 12.0 | |||
| Turnout | 4,871 | ||||
| Reform gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
1905 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | William Thomas Jennings | 2,621 | 53.39 | ||
| Independent Liberal | Charles Leech | 1,970 | 40.13 | ||
| Socialist | Harry Campbell | 215 | 4.37 | ||
| Informal votes | 103 | 2.09 | |||
| Majority | 651 | 13.26 | |||
| Turnout | 4,909 | ||||
1899 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Walter Symes | 2,253 | 53.16 | ||
| Conservative | William Monkhouse | 1,985 | 46.84 | ||
| Majority | 268 | 6.32 | |||
| Turnout | 4,238 | 76.71 | |||
| Registered electors | 5,525 | ||||
1893 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Felix McGuire | 1,305 | 48.88 | ||
| Conservative | Benjamin Robbins | 1,170 | 43.82 | ||
| Liberal | E. G. Allsworth | 195 | 7.30 | ||
| Majority | 135 | 5.06 | |||
| Turnout | 2,670 | 72.81 | |||
| Registered electors | 3,667 | ||||
1891 by-election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Felix McGuire | 986 | 51.92 | ||
| Independent | Robert Bruce | 913 | 48.04 | ||
| Majority | 73 | 3.84 | |||
| Turnout | 1,899 | ||||
1890 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Harry Atkinson | 1,096 | 58.08 | ||
| Independent | Felix McGuire | 791 | 41.92 | ||
| Majority | 305 | 16.16 | |||
| Turnout | 1,887 | 70.72 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,668 | ||||