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Dunedin Central

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Dunedin Central was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890 and 1905 to 1984.[1]

Population centres

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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 1875–1876 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, including Dunedin Central, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.[2][1]

History

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Thomas Bracken, who at the 1879 election had unsuccessfully contested the City of Dunedin electorate, was the first representative.[3] At the 1884 election, Bracken was defeated by James Benn Bradshaw, but Bradshaw died during the term (on 1 September 1886) and Bracken won the resulting by-election. He served for the rest of the term and then retired.[3]

The 1887 election was contested by Edward Cargill and Frederick Fitchett,[4] and won by Fitchett.[5] Fitchett served one term and then retired.[6] The electorate was abolished at the end of the term in 1890.[1]

When the electorate was recreated for the 1905 election, the election was won by John A. Millar of the Liberal Party, who had represented various Dunedin electorates since 1893. At the next election in 1908, Millar successfully stood in the Dunedin West electorate.[7]

The Dunedin Central electorate was won by James Arnold in that year, who was also of the Liberal Party.[8] At the 1911 election, Arnold was beaten by Charles Statham.[9] Statham was a representative of the Reform Party, but became an Independent in 1919. Statham resigned after the 1914 election, after irregularities in the counting of the vote turned a 12-vote lead for his competitor Jim Munro into a 12-vote loss. Munro, who represented the United Labour Party, and Statham contested the resulting 1915 by-election, which was narrowly won by Statham. He continued to represent the electorate until his retirement in 1935.[10]

Peter Neilson of the Labour Party won the 1935 election. He served for three terms before he retired in 1946.[11] He was succeeded by Labour's Phil Connolly in the 1946 election, who served six terms before he retired.[12] Brian MacDonell of the Labour Party won the 1963 election and served seven terms until 1984, when the electorate was abolished.[13] MacDonell then failed to get selected by Labour for the Dunedin West electorate and then stood as an Independent, but he was unsuccessful.[citation needed]

Members of Parliament

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The electorate was represented by nine Members of Parliament:[1]

Key

  Independent   Liberal   Liberal–Labour   Reform   Labour

Election Winner
1881 election Thomas Bracken
1884 election James Benn Bradshaw
1886 by-election Thomas Bracken (2nd period)
1887 election Frederick Fitchett
(Electorate abolished 1890–1905)
1905 election John A. Millar
1908 election James Arnold
1911 election Charles Statham
1914 election
1915 by-election
1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election
1931 election
1935 election Peter Neilson
1938 election
1943 election
1946 election Phil Connolly
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election Brian MacDonell
1966 election
1969 election
1972 election
1975 election
1978 election
1981 election
(Electorate abolished in 1984; see Dunedin West)

Election results

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1981 election

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1981 general election: Dunedin Central[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 9,662 53.81 +3.60
National Nancy Ruth King 5,493 30.59
Social Credit D A Hood 2,798 15.58
Majority 4,169 23.22 +4.58
Turnout 17,953 87.04 +22.56
Registered electors 20,626

1978 election

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1978 general election: Dunedin Central[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 9,193 50.21 +3.82
National Michael Ablett 5,780 31.57
Social Credit C Howard 2,649 14.46
Values Kathleen Dawson 685 3.74 −3.77
Majority 3,413 18.64 +10.71
Turnout 18,307 64.48 −16.30
Registered electors 28,391

1975 election

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1975 general election: Dunedin Central[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 8,352 46.39 −11.26
National Ian Bright 6,924 38.46
Values Kathleen Dawson 1,353 7.51
Social Credit Zorina Vujcich 1,327 7.37
Socialist Unity John Lindsay 32 0.17
Independent H Smith 13 0.07
Majority 1,428 7.93 −15.25
Turnout 18,001 80.78 −6.93
Registered electors 22,282

1972 election

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1972 general election: Dunedin Central[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 9,378 57.65 +1.77
National Fred O'Neill 5,607 34.46
Social Credit Colin Aberdeen 1,058 6.50 −2.35
New Democratic Christopher John Murphy 119 0.73
Socialist Unity Jack Marston 105 0.64
Majority 3,771 23.18 +0.11
Turnout 16,267 87.71 +0.35
Registered electors 18,545

1969 election

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1969 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 9,565 55.88 +7.31
National Margaret Mary Reichwein 5,616 32.81
Social Credit Colin Aberdeen 1,515 8.85 −1.99
Phoenix Party Gerald Williams 418 2.44
Majority 3,949 23.07 +15.07
Turnout 17,114 88.06 +1.54
Registered electors 19,433

1966 election

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1966 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 7,557 48.57 −0.07
National John Farry 6,312 40.57
Social Credit Colin Aberdeen 1,687 10.84 +1.30
Majority 1,245 8.00 +0.55
Turnout 15,556 86.52 −2.68
Registered electors 17,979

1963 election

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1963 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Brian MacDonell 7,639 48.64
National George Robert Thorn 6,469 41.19
Social Credit Colin Aberdeen 1,499 9.54 +3.18
Communist John Leslie Marston 96 0.61
Majority 1,170 7.45
Turnout 15,703 89.20 −0.12
Registered electors 17,604

1960 election

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1960 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Connolly 7,175 48.05 −4.93
National Norman Scurr 6,333 42.41
Social Credit Colin Aberdeen 951 6.36
Independent Warrington Taylor 471 3.15
Majority 842 5.63 −5.80
Turnout 14,930 89.32 −2.79
Registered electors 16,715

1957 election

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1957 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Connolly 8,241 52.98 +10.32
National Marcus Anderson 6,463 41.55 −1.33
Social Credit Mary King 850 5.46 −11.65
Majority 1,778 11.43 +9.00
Turnout 15,554 92.11 +0.52
Registered electors 16,885

1954 election

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1954 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Connolly 5,784 42.66 −9.24
National Marcus Anderson 5,454 40.22
Social Credit Mary King 2,320 17.11
Majority 330 2.43 −0.63
Turnout 13,558 91.59 +1.34
Registered electors 14,802

1951 election

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1951 general election: Dunedin Central[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Connolly 6,321 51.90 −2.01
National Walter MacDougall 5,858 48.09
Majority 373 3.06 −4.76
Turnout 12,179 90.25 −3.17
Registered electors 13,494

1949 election

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1949 general election: Dunedin Central[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Connolly 6,813 53.91 −3.62
National David Murdoch 5,824 46.08
Majority 989 7.82 −7.25
Turnout 12,637 93.42 +0.32
Registered electors 13,527

1946 election

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1946 general election: Dunedin Central[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Phil Connolly 7,633 57.53
National Stuart Sidey 5,633 42.46
Majority 2,000 15.07
Turnout 13,266 93.56 +3.06
Registered electors 14,179

1943 election

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1943 general election: Dunedin Central[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Neilson 7,853 54.54 +8.25
National Leonard James Tobin Ireland 5,698 39.58
Democratic Labour A P Peat 686 4.76
Informal votes 159 1.10 +0.36
Majority 2,155 14.96 −11.37
Turnout 14,396 90.50 −2.64
Registered electors 15,907

1938 election

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1938 general election: Dunedin Central[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Neilson 9,094 62.79 +7.40
National William John Meade 5,280 36.45
Informal votes 108 0.74 +0.13
Majority 3,814 26.33 +11.67
Turnout 14,482 93.14 +2.21
Registered electors 15,548

1935 election

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1935 general election: Dunedin Central[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Peter Neilson 6,529 55.39 +6.64
Reform Donald Cameron 4,800 40.72
Independent Sidney Wren 457 3.87
Informal votes 73 0.61 +0.41
Majority 1,729 14.66
Turnout 11,786 90.93 +5.14
Registered electors 12,961

1931 election

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1931 general election: Dunedin Central[21][22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Charles Statham 5,389 51.25
Labour Peter Neilson 5,127 48.75
Majority 262 2.49
Informal votes 21 0.20
Turnout 10,537 85.79
Registered electors 12,283

1928 election

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1928 general election: Dunedin Central[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Charles Statham 6,022 58.62
Labour John Robinson 4,251 41.38
Majority 1,771 17.24
Informal votes 117 1.13
Turnout 10,390 88.11
Registered electors 11,792

1915 by-election

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1915 Dunedin Central by-election[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Charles Statham 4,033 50.67 +0.59
United Labour Jim Munro 3,926 49.33 −0.62
Informal votes 11 0.13 −2.53
Majority 107 1.34 +1.18
Turnout 7,959 84.55 +2.97
Registered electors 9,413

1914 election

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1914 general election: Dunedin Central[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Charles Statham 3,744 50.08
United Labour Jim Munro 3,732 49.91
Informal votes 199 2.66
Majority 12 0.16
Turnout 7,476 81.51
Registered electors 9,171

1886 by-election

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1886 Dunedin Central by-election[27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Thomas Bracken 501 59.71
Independent William Hutchison 255 30.39
Independent Charles Robert Chapman 80 9.54
Independent William Darling 3 0.36
Majority 246 29.32
Informal votes 8
Turnout 847

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Wilson 1985, pp. 261–262.
  2. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
  3. ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 185.
  4. ^ "The General Elections: City Nominations". Otago Daily Times. No. 7982. 21 September 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. ^ "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  6. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 196.
  7. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 220.
  8. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 180.
  9. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 180, 236.
  10. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 236.
  11. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 223.
  12. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 190.
  13. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 190, 261–262.
  14. ^ a b c d Norton 1988, p. 213.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Norton 1988, p. 212.
  16. ^ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  17. ^ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  18. ^ "The General Election, 1943". National Library. 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  19. ^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  20. ^ The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  21. ^ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  22. ^ "Elections Recounts". The Evening Post. Vol. CXII, no. 142. 12 December 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  23. ^ "Prospects in Otago". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXVIII, no. 21037. 23 November 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  24. ^ Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  25. ^ "Nominations". Otago Daily Times. No. 20550. 27 October 1928. p. 9. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  26. ^ a b Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  27. ^ "Dunedin". North Otago Times. Vol. XXXI, no. 6176. 14 October 1886. p. 2.

References

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  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
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