Kaikōura is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 Parliamentary electorate

New Zealand electorates

An electorate is a voting district for elections to the Parliament of New Zealand. In informal discussion, electorates are often called seats. The most formal description, electoral district, is rarely seen outside of electoral legislation. Before 1996, all Members of Parliament were directly...

, returning a single MP to the New Zealand House of Representatives

Parliament of New Zealand

The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...

. The current MP for Kaikōura is Colin King

Colin King

Colin King MNZM is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.-Early years:King was born in 1949 in Canterbury. He is a farmer from Marlborough, and has held senior roles in various boards and trusts relating to the agricultural sector...

 of the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

. He has held this position since 2005

New Zealand general election, 2005

The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...

.

Population centres

The Kaikōura electorate is one of the South Island's largest electorates, spanning the north-east of the island from Cook Strait

Cook Strait

Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....

 in the north to the Ashley River / Rakahuri in the south. Its main towns are Blenheim

Blenheim, New Zealand

Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...

 and Kaikoura

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....

; other towns include Picton

Picton, New Zealand

Picton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is close to the head of Queen Charlotte Sound near the north-east corner of the South Island. The population was 2928 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 72 from 2001...

, Havelock

Havelock, New Zealand

Havelock is a coastal village in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It sits at the head of Pelorus Sound, one of the Marlborough Sounds. The population was 486 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 12 from 2001....

, Cheviot

Cheviot, New Zealand

Cheviot is a town in the Hurunui District of north Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the Main North Line railway and State Highway 1 approximately north of Christchurch. It was originally called Mackenzie after politician John McKenzie, who was closely...

, Hanmer Springs

Hanmer Springs

Hanmer Springs is a small town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 65 kilometres southwest of Kaikoura , in the Hurunui District. The town lies on a minor road 9 kilometres north of State Highway 7, the northern route between Christchurch and the West Coast...

, Culverden

Culverden

Culverden is a small town in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. The 2006 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings had a usually-resident population of 420. This represented an increase of 7% or 27 people from the previous census in 2001.Culverden is located on State Highway...

, Amberley

Amberley, New Zealand

Amberley is a town located in the Hurunui District of north Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 approximately 50 km north of Christchurch...

 and Ashley.

History

Kaikōura is one of the original 60 electorates drawn ahead of the change to Mixed Member Proportional voting in 1996

New Zealand general election, 1996

The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...

. It was made up by merging together all of the old Marlborough

Marlborough (New Zealand electorate)

Marlborough is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, in the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island.-Population Centres:The electorate is rural. It is a noted wine area where grapes are grown for wine. The largest town is Blenheim, with Picton the only port.* -History:The...

 seat with a large portion of Rangiora

Rangiora (New Zealand electorate)

Rangiora is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, based on the town of Rangiora.-Population Centres:The electorate is based on the town of Rangiora and the surrounding rural area, and is north of Christchurch in North Canterbury.-History:...

. Like the two electorates it replaced, Kaikōura is a safe seat for the National Party, returning a National MP at every election since it was created.

The first representative in 1996 was Doug Kidd

Doug Kidd

Sir Douglas Lorimer Kidd, KNZM is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1978 to 2002, representing the National Party. He served for three years as Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Early life:...

, who was previously the MP for Marlborough

Marlborough (New Zealand electorate)

Marlborough is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, in the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island.-Population Centres:The electorate is rural. It is a noted wine area where grapes are grown for wine. The largest town is Blenheim, with Picton the only port.* -History:The...

. He retired at the end of the parliamentary term and was succeeded by Lynda Scott

Lynda Scott

Lynda Marie Scott is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of the National Party.-Early life:Scott attended Mairehau High School in Christchurch. She trained as a nurse in Wellington and then became a doctor in Auckland. She worked as a geriatrician...

 in the . Scott served for two parliamentary terms before retiring from politics and returning to the medical profession in 2005.

The was won by Colin King

Colin King

Colin King MNZM is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.-Early years:King was born in 1949 in Canterbury. He is a farmer from Marlborough, and has held senior roles in various boards and trusts relating to the agricultural sector...

, who is the incumbent.

Members of Parliament for Kaikōura

Key

Election	Winner
		Doug Kidd Doug Kidd Sir Douglas Lorimer Kidd, KNZM is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1978 to 2002, representing the National Party. He served for three years as Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Early life:...
		Lynda Scott Lynda Scott Lynda Marie Scott is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of the National Party.-Early life:Scott attended Mairehau High School in Christchurch. She trained as a nurse in Wellington and then became a doctor in Auckland. She worked as a geriatrician...
		Colin King Colin King Colin King MNZM is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.-Early years:King was born in 1949 in Canterbury. He is a farmer from Marlborough, and has held senior roles in various boards and trusts relating to the agricultural sector...

List MPs from Kaikōura

Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Kaikōura electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Name	Party	First Elected	Left Office	Contested Kaikōura
Marian Hobbs Marian Hobbs Marian Leslie Hobbs , a New Zealand politician, was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2008. She was initially a list MP and then represented the Wellington Central electorate...	Labour New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....	1996 New Zealand general election, 1996 The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...	2008 New Zealand general election, 2008 The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...	1996 New Zealand general election, 1996 The 1996 New Zealand general election was held on 12 October 1996 to determine the composition of the 45th New Zealand Parliament. It was notable for being the first election to be held under the new Mixed Member Proportional electoral system, and produced a parliament considerably more diverse...
Ian Ewen-Street Ian Ewen-Street Ian Ewen-Street is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the Green Party and a Member of the New Zealand Parliament for the Greens from 1999 to 2005...	Green Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...	1999 New Zealand general election, 1999 The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...	2005 New Zealand general election, 2005 The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...	1999 New Zealand general election, 1999 The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance... , 2002 New Zealand general election, 2002 The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...

Candidates in the

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Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 44,588

2008 election

2005 election

Note: lines coloured beige denote the winner of the electorate vote. Lines coloured pink denote a candidate elected to Parliament from their party's list.

Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Party Votes	%
National New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...	Colin King Colin King Colin King MNZM is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.-Early years:King was born in 1949 in Canterbury. He is a farmer from Marlborough, and has held senior roles in various boards and trusts relating to the agricultural sector...	17755	51.68	15636	45.02
Labour New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....	Brendon Burns Brendon Burns (politician) Brendon Burns is the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central electorate of the New Zealand Parliament.-Early life:Burns worked for 12 years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. As editor of The Marlborough Express for seven years, he led various community initiatives and won the...	13080	38.07	12515	36.04
Green Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...	Steffan Browning	1927	5.61	2005	5.07
United	Robin Westley	481	1.40	981	2.82
Progressive New Zealand Progressive Party Jim Anderton's Progressive Party , is a New Zealand political party generally somewhat to the left of its ally, the Labour Party....	John Maurice	430	1.25	558	1.61
ACT	Pat O'Sullivan	275	0.80	505	1.45
Māori Party Maori Party The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...	Brett Cowan	174	0.51	133	0.38
Independent	Ted Howard	170	0.49
Alliance Alliance (New Zealand political party) The Alliance is a left-wing political party in New Zealand. It was formed in 1991, and was influential in the 1990s, but has since declined and has no representation in parliament. It suffered a major setback after Jim Anderton, the party's leader, left the party in 2002, taking several of the...	Greg Kleis	64	0.19	40	0.12
NZ First New Zealand First New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...	-	-	-	2036	5.86
Destiny Destiny New Zealand Destiny New Zealand was a Christian political party in New Zealand centred on the charismatic/pentecostal Destiny Church. The party described itself as "centre-right". It placed a strong focus on socially conservative values and argued that the breakdown of the traditional family was a primary...	-	-	-	139	0.40
ALCP Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party is a political party in New Zealand. It is dedicated to removing or reducing restrictions on the use of cannabis and similar substances...	-	-	-	68	0.20
Christian Heritage Christian Heritage New Zealand The Christian Heritage Party of New Zealand was a New Zealand political party espousing Christian values...	-	-	-	43	0.12
Democrats New Zealand Democratic Party The New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit is a small leftist political party in New Zealand. It is based around the ideas of Social Credit, an economic theory which also attracted some degree of support in Canada and Australia...	-	-	-	24	0.07
One NZ One New Zealand Party The One New Zealand Party was a small political party in New Zealand. It was partly modeled on the Australian One Nation Party, founded by Pauline Hanson. Its primary focus was on matters such as the Treaty of Waitangi, but its wider platform was broadly paleoconservative or producerist...	-	-	-	13	0.04
99 MP 99 MP Party The 99 MP Party was a small New Zealand political party that contested the 2005 General Election. It supported a reduction of the number of Members of Parliament from 120 to 99.-History:...	-	-	-	10	0.03
Libertarianz Libertarianz Libertarianz is a political party in New Zealand that advocates libertarianism, favouring self-government and limiting the power of the government over the individual. Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is a major influence on the party...	-	-	-	9	0.03
Republic of NZ The Republic of New Zealand Party The Republic of New Zealand Party was a political party in New Zealand. The party's registration was cancelled at its own request in 2009...	-	-	-	7	0.02
Direct Democracy Direct Democracy Party of New Zealand The Direct Democracy Party of New Zealand was a political party in New Zealand that promoted greater participation by the people in the decision-making of government. The party's leader was Kelvyn Alp....	-	-	-	4	0.01
Family Rights PP New Zealand Family Rights Protection Party The New Zealand Family Rights Protection Party was a political party in New Zealand. It was primarily based around Pacific Islanders, and claims that the established political parties do not give sufficient consideration to the concerns of Pacific Islanders in New Zealand.The party was approved for...	-	-	-	3	0.01
informal votes		335		147
total valid votes		34,356		34,729
National hold New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...	Majority	4,675

External links

• Kaikōura Electorate Profile, Parliamentary Library