Tuapeka (electorate)

The 1870 electoral redistribution was undertaken by a parliamentary select committee based on population data from the 1867 New Zealand census. Eight sub-committees were formed, with two members each making decisions for their own province; thus members set their own electorate boundaries. The number of electorates was increased from 61 to 72, and Tuapeka was one of the new electorates.^[1] The Tuapeka electorate was landlocked and inland from the Bruce electorate. The town of Lawrence was within the electorate.^[2]

In the 1875 electoral redistribution, the electorate's area was unaltered,^[3] but boundary changes were introduced in subsequent electoral redistributions. In the 1890 electoral redistribution, the electorate moved further inland and the settlements of Tapanui and Roxburgh were gained.^[4] In the 1892 electoral redistribution, the electorate moved further inland again and Tapanui was lost again, but Alexandra was gained.^[5] In the 1907 electoral redistribution, the shape of the electorate changed significantly, and Lawrence was lost to the Bruce electorate, but large areas were gained from the Mount Ida electorate, including Ranfurly.^[6]

In the 1911 electoral redistribution, the Tuapeka electorate was abolished, and the vast majority of its area went to the Otago Central electorate.^[7]

From 1855 to 1862 Vincent Pyke represented Castlemaine and Castlemaine Boroughs in the Victorian Legislative Assembly.^[8] Pyke represented Tuapeka from the 1893 election to 4 June 1894, when he died.^[9]

William Chapple, who represented Tuapeka for just four months following a by-election in 1908,^[10] later became an MP in the House of Commons, representing Stirlingshire (1910–1918) and Dumfriesshire (1922–1924).