Karori (electorate)

The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Karori.^[1]

The electorate of Karori was created for the 1946 elections.^[2] Its initial boundaries were roughly the same as the abolished Wellington West electorate, except that it did not include Brooklyn or Ngaio. It included Karori proper, Northland, Wilton, Mākara, and parts of Kelburn, as follows:

All that area bounded by a line commencing at a point on the high-water mark of Cook Strait at the south-eastern corner of Section 37, Terawhiti District, in Block XIII, Port Nicholson Survey District; thence northerly along the eastern boundaries of Sections 37 and 38, the eastern and northern boundaries of Section 70, and the northern boundary of Section 69, all of Terawhiti District, to the southernmost point of the Wellington Water-supply Reserve ; thence along the eastern boundary of the said reserve to its intersection with the south-western boundary of Section 3, Upper Kaiwarra District; thence along a right line to the south-eastern corner of Section 10, Ohiro District; thence along the south-eastern boundary of the Town Belt to a point in line with the middle of Durham Street; thence to and along the middle of Durham Street, Aro Street, St. John Street, Abel Smith Street, and The Terrace, to Bowen Street; thence along the middle of Bowen Street and Sydney Street West to Tinakori Road; thence south-westerly along the middle of Tinakori Road, to and along the middle of St. Mary Street, Grant Road, and Wadestown Road, to a point in line with the north-eastern boundary of the Town Belt as defined by Pakuao Stream; thence north-westerly generally along the boundary of the Electoral District of Onslow, hereinbefore described, to the westernmost corner of Section 111, Ohariu District, in Block I, Port Nicholson Survey District; thence along the sea-coast to the south-eastern corner of Section 37, Terawhiti District, the point of commencement.^[3]

Redistributions for the 1954 elections saw it lose a small amount of territory to Wellington Central electorate, and gain a small amount from Onslow electorate. Redistributions for the 1957 elections saw it again gain territory (parts of Khandallah and Ngaio) from Onslow, but lose territory to Wellington South electorate. For the Redistributions for the 1963 elections, it gained the whole of Khandallah and Johnsonville from the abolished Onslow electorate, but lost Kelburn, Northland, and Wilton. The 1969 elections saw it lose Johnsonville, regain parts of Wilton and Northland, and gain Ohariu. In the 1972 elections, it lost ground in Wilton and Northland, but regained parts of Johnsonville.

The electorate was abolished through the 1977 electoral redistribution, which came into effect with the 1978 election. The new electorate of Ohariu was roughly based on the Karori electorate, but did not include any of Khandallah or Ngaio.^[4]

The electorate was held by the National Party for the duration of its existence.^[2] Its longest occupant, Jack Marshall, briefly served as Prime Minister.^[5]