Helensville (electorate)

The 1977 electoral redistribution, initiated by Robert Muldoon's National Government, was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established through an amendment to the Representation Act in 1886.^[1] As part of the 1976 census, a large number of people failed to fill in an electoral re-registration card, and census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed. This had little practical effect for people on the general roll, but it transferred Māori to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, this resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the North Island.^[2] The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, with 22 electorates being abolished, and 27 (including Helensville) being newly created or re-established. These changes came into effect for the 1978 election.^[3]

In the 1983 electoral redistribution, the Helensville electorate was abolished, and its area went to the West Auckland and Rodney electorates.^[4] Helensville was re-established in time for the 2002 election in response to continued high population growth in and around Auckland. It was formed from the northern flank of the Waitakere electorate with the addition of areas from the Rodney electorate around its southern boundary.

Helensville covers an area of the rapidly growing northern Auckland urban fringe, drawing Helensville and Kumeū from the former Rodney District, moving south to take in Paremoremo, Greenhithe and Albany from the former North Shore City, and finally tacking west to include Whenuapai, Hobsonville and West Harbour from the former Waitakere City.

The boundaries of the electorate changed significantly in the 2019/20 boundary review. Its northern boundary moved northward to become the same as the boundary between the Northland and Auckland local government regions, taking in part of the Northland electorate and all that part of Rodney electorate north of Waiwera, which is, by area, most of Rodney. On the other hand, an area running from Dairy Flat south to Paremoremo moved into Rodney, which is renamed the Whangaparāoa electorate. Helensville also gained the suburb of Westgate from the Upper Harbour electorate. It lost its southern section around the Waitakere Ranges to New Lynn. It was initially proposed that the electorate would keep the name Helensville, but after public submissions it became the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate.^[5]

In the 1978 election, the Helensville electorate was won by Dail Jones, who had been MP for the Waitemata electorate since the 1975 election.^[6] When the Helensville electorate was abolished in 1984, Jones stood in the West Auckland electorate in the 1984 election but was defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Jack Elder.^[7]

The Helensville electorate was re-established for the 2002 election. Newcomer John Key beat sitting Waitakere MP Brian Neeson to the National Party nomination and, in a tight year for his party, won the electorate by 1,705 votes in a split field when a disgruntled Neeson stood as an independent. At the same election, Dail Jones contested the electorate for New Zealand First. Helensville was partly rural and was wealthy beyond the national average, making it a safe National electorate, and Key was returned easily in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014 with large majorities. Key became National Party leader in 2006 and prime minister in 2008. In December 2016, he announced that he would retire from politics before the 2017 general election.^[8] He was replaced as Helensville MP by Chris Penk.