Waimakariri (New Zealand electorate)

Waimakariri 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...

, formed in 1996 and returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand

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 Waimakariri is Clayton Cosgrove

Clayton Cosgrove

Clayton James Cosgrove is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:Cosgrove was born in Nelson, New Zealand. He received a BA, in American Studies and Political Science, from the University of Canterbury in 1992 and received an MBA in 1996...

of the Labour Party

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....

. He has held this position since the 1999 election

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...

. The results of the are not confirmed yet; whilst Kate Wilkinson

Kate Wilkinson (politician)

Catherine Joan "Kate" Wilkinson is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.- Biography :...

is in the lead, it might take two weeks from election day until final results get announced.

Population areas

Waimakariri is based around the city of Christchurch and towns in its orbit, spreading up the northern coast of the South Island. From Christchurch it contains the suburbs of Casebrook and Belfast

Belfast, New Zealand

Belfast is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is in the north of the city, close to the banks of the Waimakariri River.-History:Belfast is named after Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was originally known as North Road District, Seven Mile Peg, Styx, or by its Māori name Purarekanui...

; from Waimakariri District

Waimakariri District

The Waimakariri District is a political district of New Zealand, located in the South Island, on the eastern coast of north Canterbury. It is north of Christchurch and the Waimakariri River and is a part of the greater Canterbury region. The name is Māori for cold river.The district was established...

to its north, it takes in the towns of Kaiapoi

Kaiapoi

Kaiapoi is a town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, located close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and approximately 17 kilometres north of Christchurch....

and Rangiora as well as a selection of small inland localities such as Cust

Cust, New Zealand

Cust is a rural village in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located in north Canterbury and comes under seat of the Waimakariri District Council.Cust is about 16 km east of Oxford and 17 km west of Rangiora....

and Oxford

Oxford, New Zealand

Oxford is a small town of 1,716 people serving the farming community of North Canterbury, New Zealand. It is part of the Waimakariri District. Oxford is a linear town, approximately two kilometres long. For a time Oxford was serviced by the Oxford Branch railway, and had two stations, East Oxford...

. Boundary changes following the 2006 census were relatively minor; Waimakariri managed to avoid the upheaval wrought upon electorates in Christchurch, losing Bishopdale

Bishopdale, New Zealand

-History:The suburb is named after the three Bishop brothers, James , Robert and William , who bought land in the area in 1858 or 1859 and established pipfruit orchards. Initially, the area was called Bishopsdale, but the second 's' was dropped from the name...

to Ilam

Ilam (New Zealand electorate)

Ilam is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. Formed for the , it has always been held by Gerry Brownlee MP.-Population centres:Ilam is considered a safe National seat. The electorate includes the suburbs of Riccarton , Upper Riccarton, Fendalton, Burnside, Avonhead, Merivale, Bishopdale, Ilam,...

and the last remaining segment of Papanui

Papanui

Papanui is a major suburb of Christchurch New Zealand. It is sited five kilometers to the northwest of the city centre. Papanui is a middle socio-economic area with a population of 3,543 consisting predominantly of Pākehā 92.3%, Māori 5.7%, Pacific peoples 2.5%, Asian 5.0%, Middle Eastern/Latin...

to Christchurch Central

Christchurch Central

Christchurch Central is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate in the South Island city of Christchurch. The electorate was established for the 1946 election and has always been won by the Labour Party. Since 2008, the incumbent is Brendon Burns...

History

The existence of Waimakariri dates back to the introduction of MMP voting in the 1996 general election

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...

, when the number of South Island electorates fell from twenty-five to sixteen. The electorate is based around the old 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:...

electorate, with Hurunui District

Hurunui District

The Hurunui District is a political district on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, north of Christchurch, New Zealand. It forms part of the Canterbury region and stretches from the east coast to the main divide. Its land area is ....

shorn off and placed in Kaikōura

Kaikoura (New Zealand electorate)

right|thumb|Kaikōura electorateKaikōura is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning a single MP to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Kaikōura is Colin King of the National Party...

, and the resultant electorate pulled into Christchurch via State Highway 71, absorbing parts of Christchurch previously in the electorate of Christchurch North

Christchurch North (New Zealand electorate)

Christchurch North is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.The electorate was in the northern suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand.-History:The electorate existed three times:*1881 to 1890;*1905 to 1946;...

. The first contest saw Rangiora's Jim Gerard

Jim Gerard

Richard James Gerard is a former New Zealand politician. He was a National Party member of parliament from 1984 to 1997.-Member of Parliament:...

easily defeated by former Prime Minister and MP for Christchurch North, Mike Moore. He left the office in July 1999, having been elected Director-General of the World Trade Organization

Director-General of the World Trade Organization

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization is responsible for supervising the administrative functions of the World Trade Organization...

.

Clayton Cosgrove won the second contest in 1999 and was confirmed in 2002, 2005 and 2008.

Given that Rangiora was a safe National electorate and Christchurch North a safe Labour electorate, and given the urban-rural makeup of the electorate, Waimakariri does not favour any party. At the 2005 election

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...

, while Waimakariri's electors were returning incumbent Clayton Cosgrove by 5,064 votes (and in the process slashing his majority in half), their party vote intentions were more ambiguous, with National winning 79 more party votes than Labour, setting Waimakariri up to be a key electorate at the 2008 election

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...

. Cosgrove retained the electorate with a much narrower 390 majority in 2008, whilst his opponent Kate Wilkinson

Kate Wilkinson (politician)

Catherine Joan "Kate" Wilkinson is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.- Biography :...

's party (National) got over 5000 more party votes.

Preliminary results from the night count give Wilkinson a lead of 395 votes over Cosgrove (15,409 and 15,014 votes, respectively), and final results may take two weeks from the election day.

Members of Parliament for Waimakariri

Key

Election	Winner
		Mike Moore
		Clayton Cosgrove Clayton Cosgrove Clayton James Cosgrove is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:Cosgrove was born in Nelson, New Zealand. He received a BA, in American Studies and Political Science, from the University of Canterbury in 1992 and received an MBA in 1996...



	?	?

List MPs from Waimakariri

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

Name	Party	First Elected	Left Office	Contested Waimakariri
Jim Gerard Jim Gerard Richard James Gerard is a former New Zealand politician. He was a National Party member of parliament from 1984 to 1997.-Member of Parliament:...	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:...	1984 New Zealand general election, 1984 The 1984 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 41st New Zealand Parliament. It marked the beginning of the Fourth Labour Government, with David Lange's Labour Party defeating long-serving Prime Minister Robert Muldoon of the National Party. It was also the...	April 1997	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...
John Wright John Wright (politician) John Wright is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1996 to 2002, representing the Alliance.Before entering Parliament he owned the Port-a-Loo company....	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...	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...	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...	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... , 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...
Ron Mark Ron Mark Major Ron Stanley Mark is a New Zealand politician, and is the current mayor of Carterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand.-Early years:...	New Zealand 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...	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...	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... , 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...
Kate Wilkinson Kate Wilkinson (politician) Catherine Joan "Kate" Wilkinson is a New Zealand politician, and currently serves as a member of Parliament.- Biography :...	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:...	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...	Current MP	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... , 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...

Candidates in the

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Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 46,911

2008 election

2005 election

External links

Electorate Profile Parliamentary Library

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