Oamaru (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 35 new electorates being formed, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated, including Oamaru. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.^[1]

Through an amendment in the Electoral Act in 1965, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, an increase of one since the 1962 electoral redistribution.^[2] It was accepted that through the more rapid population growth in the North Island, the number of its electorates would continue to increase, and to keep proportionality, three new electorates were allowed for in the 1967 electoral redistribution for the next election.^[3] In the North Island, five electorates were newly created and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished.^[4] In the South Island, three electorates were newly created and one electorate (Oamaru) was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished.^[5] The overall effect of the required changes was highly disruptive to existing electorates, with all but three electorates having their boundaries altered.^[6] These changes came into effect with the 1969 election.^[3]

The electorate was centred on the town of Oamaru.

The electorate existed three times: from 1866 to 1870, 1881 to 1957, and then from 1969 to 1978.^[7][8]

Robert Campbell was the first representative, who served from the 1866 general election to 9 April 1869, when he resigned.^[9] Charles Christie Graham won the resulting 1869 by-election; he retired at the end of the term in 1870.^[10] The electorate was abolished at the end of the 4th Parliament.^[7]

Samuel Shrimski won the 1881 general election in the reconstituted electorate against James Hassell, one of the pioneers of Oamaru.^[11][12][13] In the 1884 general election, he defeated Viscount Reidhaven (who later became the Earl of Seafield when he succeeded his father).^[14][15] Shrimski resigned on 28 March 1885 and was appointed to the Legislative Council on 15 May 1885.^[16]

Thomas William Hislop won the 1885 by-election.^[17] Hislop, William Henry Frith^[18] and John Church contested the 1887 election and received 581, 345 and 100 votes, respectively.^[19] Hislop represented the electorate until 5 September 1889, when he resigned. He won the resulting 1889 by-election, but was defeated by Tom Duncan at the 1890 general election.^[20][21]

Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by twelve Members of Parliament.^[8]

Key

Independent	Liberal	Reform
United	Labour	National

More information Election, Winner ...

Election	Winner
1866 election		Robert Campbell
1869 by-election		Charles Graham
(Electorate abolished 1870–1881, see Waitaki)
1881 election		Samuel Shrimski
1884 election
1885 by-election		Thomas Hislop
1887 election
1889 by-election
1890 election		Tom Duncan
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election		Ernest Lee
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election		John MacPherson
1923 by-election
1925 election		Ernest Lee
1928 election		John MacPherson
1931 election
1935 election		Arnold Nordmeyer
1938 election
1943 election
1946 election
1949 election		Thomas Hayman
1951 election
1954 election
(Electorate abolished 1957–1969, see Waitaki)
1969 election		Allan Dick
1972 election		Bill Laney
1975 election		Jonathan Elworthy
(Electorate abolished in 1978; see Waitaki)

Close

1975 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1975 general election: Oamaru

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Jonathan Elworthy	9,563	50.0	+7.2
	Labour	Bill Laney	7,367	38.6	−6.4
	Social Credit	Don McLean	1,713	9.0	−1.9
	Values	Gill Morgan	462	2.4	+1.4
Majority			2,196	11.4
Turnout				89.7
Registered electors			21,356

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1972 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1972 general election: Oamaru

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bill Laney	7,746	45.0	+8.1
	National	Allan Dick	7,356	42.8	−2.2
	Social Credit	Alexander Familton	1,881	10.9	−1.7
	Values	J R Perkins	176	1.0	+1.0
	New Democratic	H E Mitchell	55	0.3	+0.3
Majority			390	2.2
Turnout				91.6
Registered electors			18,859

Close

1969 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1969 general election: Oamaru

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Allan Dick	7,033	45.0
	Labour	N Agnew	6,536	41.9
	Social Credit	B R Milmine	1,974	12.6
	Democratic Labour	Jamie Wedderspoon	75	0.5	+0.5
Majority			497	3.1
Turnout				92.4
Registered electors			17,006

Close

1954 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1954 general election: Oamaru

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Thomas Hayman	6,561	50.8	−3.8
	Labour	J H Rapson	5,203	40.3	−5.1
	Social Credit	F Poole	1,151	8.9	+8.9
Majority			1,358	10.5
Turnout				95.6
Registered electors			13,568

Close

1951 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1951 general election: Oamaru

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Thomas Hayman	7,736	54.6	+2.1
	Labour	C J Ryan	6,421	45.4	−2.1
Majority			1,315	9.2
Turnout				92.6
Registered electors			15,312

Close

1949 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1949 general election: Oamaru^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Thomas Hayman	7,415	54.6
	Labour	Arnold Nordmeyer	6,721	45.4	−3.1
Informal votes			64	0.4	+0.1
Majority			694	5.0
Turnout			14,950	95.0	+0.2
Registered electors			15,658

Close

1946 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1946 general election: Oamaru^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arnold Nordmeyer	7,079	50.6	+2.8
	National	Thomas Ross Beatty	6,847	49.0	+2.4
	Independent Liberal	George Percival Cuttriss	56	0.4	−1.51
Informal votes			53	0.3	−0.5
Majority			232	1.6	+0.5
Turnout			14,035	94.8	−1.8
Registered electors			14,736

Close

1943 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1943 general election: Oamaru^[24][25][26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arnold Nordmeyer	5,151	47.81	−5.26
	National	Thomas Ross Beatty	5,026	46.65
	Democratic Labour	George Barclay	339	3.14
	People's Movement	George Percival Cuttriss	167	1.55
Informal votes			90	0.83	+0.25
Majority			125	1.16	−5.57
Turnout			10,773	96.67	+1.34
Registered electors			11,143

Close

1938 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1938 general election: Oamaru^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arnold Nordmeyer	5,971	53.07	+3.14
	National	Frank Cooney	5,213	46.33
Informal votes			66	0.58	−0.72
Majority			758	6.73	−4.25
Turnout			11,250	95.33	+2.97
Registered electors			11,801

Close

1935 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1935 general election: Oamaru^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arnold Nordmeyer	5,296	50.93
	United	John MacPherson	4,154	39.94	−1.53
	Democrat	Herbert Gladstone Hill	948	9.11
Informal votes			136	1.30	+0.92
Majority			1,142	10.98
Turnout			10,398	92.36	+3.84
Registered electors			11,257

Close

1931 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1931 general election: Oamaru^[29][30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United	John Andrew MacPherson	3,992	41.47
	Reform	John Kirkness	2,946	30.60
	Labour	Percival Malthus	2,688	27.92
Majority			1,046	10.87
Informal votes			37	0.38
Turnout			9,663	88.52
Registered electors			10,916

Close

1928 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1928 general election: Oamaru^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United	John Andrew MacPherson	5,016	51.74
	Reform	Ernest Lee	4,679	48.26
Majority			337	3.48
Informal votes			83	0.85
Turnout			9,778	91.81	10,650
Registered electors

Close

1923 by-election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1923 Oamaru by-election^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John MacPherson	4,492	52.00
	Reform	Ernest Lee	4,147	48.00
Informal votes			21	0.24
Majority			345	3.99
Turnout			8,660	94.18
Registered electors			9,195

Close

1902 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1902 general election: Oamaru^[33][34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Tom Duncan	2,141	50.29	−16.44
	Independent	John Marshall Brown	1,261	29.62
	Liberal	John Andrew MacPherson	717	16.84	−16.42
	Conservative	Henry Beloe Crawford	138	3.24
Majority			880	20.67	−12.80
Turnout			4,257	81.54	+4.79
Registered electors			5,221

Close

1899 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1899 general election: Oamaru^[35][36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Tom Duncan	2,500	66.74	+6.65
	Liberal	John Andrew MacPherson	1,246	33.26
Majority			1,254	33.48	+13.31
Turnout			3,746	76.75	−7.46
Registered electors			4,881

Close

1893 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1893 general election: Oamaru^[37][38][39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Tom Duncan	1,611	51.83	−11.68
	Independent	PB Fraser	1,195	38.45
	Liberal	David Dunn	252	8.11
	Independent	William Henry Frith	50	1.61
Majority			416	13.38	−13.63
Turnout			3,108	75.04	−2.30
Registered electors			4,142

Close

1890 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1890 general election: Oamaru^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Tom Duncan	1,105	63.51
	Conservative	Thomas William Hislop	635	36.49
Majority			470	27.01
Turnout			1,740	72.74
Registered electors			2,392

Close

1889 by-election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1889 Oamaru by-election^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Thomas William Hislop	549	56.95
	Liberal	David Dunn	415	43.05
Majority			134	13.90
Turnout			964

Close

1885 by-election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1885 Oamaru by-election^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Thomas William Hislop	439	53.73%
	Independent	Lord Reidhaven	378	46.27%	+1.53%
Majority			61	7.47%	−3.06%
Turnout			817	57.09%	−6.19%
Registered electors			1,381

Close

1884 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1884 general election: Oamaru^[15][43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Samuel Shrimski	483	55.26%	+1.39%
	Independent	Francis Ogilvie-Grant	391	44.74%
Majority			92	10.53%
Turnout			874	63.29%	+8.27%
Registered electors			1,381

Close

1881 election

More information Party, Candidate ...

1881 general election: Oamaru^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Samuel Shrimski	396	53.88%
	Independent	James Hassell	337	46.12%
Majority			57	7.76%
Informal votes			19	1.42%
Turnout			735	55.01%
Registered electors			1,336

Close