Wellington Country was a former 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...

 in the Wellington Region

Wellington Region

The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...

 from 1853 to 1860 and then 1871 to 1881. The seat covered Miramar

Miramar, New Zealand

Miramar is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, south-east of the city centre. It is on the Miramar Peninsula, directly east of the isthmus of Rongotai, the site of Wellington International Airport.-History:...

, Makara

Makara, New Zealand

Makara is a locality located at the western edge of Wellington, New Zealand, close to the shore of the Tasman Sea.With road access over passes from either Karori or Johnsonville/Ohariu, Makara is a rural area with sparse development....

, Porirua

Porirua

Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...

, the Kapiti Coast

Kapiti Coast

The Kapiti Coast is the name of the section of the coast of the south-western North Island of New Zealand that is north of Wellington and opposite Kapiti Island. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Regional Council...

 and the Horowhenua District

Horowhenua District

Horowhenua is a district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region.Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, the district stretches from slightly north of the town of Otaki in the south to just south of Himatangi in the north, and from the...

.

History

William Barnard Rhodes was the first representative of Wellington Country. He served until the dissolution of Parliament in 1855 and (unsuccessfully) contested the electorate instead. The was won by Dudley Ward, who resigned in 1858. The ensuing was won by Alfred Brandon

Alfred Brandon

Alfred de Bathe Brandon was a 19th century New Zealand politician.-Early life:Brandon was born in London in 1809; his father was Henry Brandon. He was educated as a lawyer...

, who served until the dissolution of Parliament in 1860.

From 1860 to 1870, Wellington Country was replaced by the Porirua electorate

Porirua (New Zealand electorate)

Porirua was a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate in the North Island. It existed during two periods; from 1860 to 1870, and then from 1963 to 1996.-Population centres:This electorate is based on Porirua City, north of Wellington.-History:...

, held by Brandon. Wellington Country was re-established for the , and Brandon won that election and the two subsequent general elections in and . At the end of the parliamentary term in 1881, Brandon retired from politics, and the Wellington Country electorate was abolished.

From 1911 to 1919 the geographic area was combined with Wellington Suburbs

Wellington Suburbs

Wellington Suburbs was a parliamentary electorate in Wellington, New Zealand from 1893 to 1946.The electorate was represented by six Members of Parliament.-Members of Parliament for Wellington Suburbs:-References:...

 into Wellington Suburbs and Country

Wellington Suburbs and Country

Wellington Suburbs and Country was a former parliamentary electorate in Wellington, New Zealand, from 1911 to 1919. The electorate was combined from Wellington Suburbs and Wellington Country electorates....

.

Members

The electorate was represented by three Members of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

.

Key

Election	Winner
		William Barnard Rhodes
		Dudley Ward
		Alfred Brandon Alfred Brandon Alfred de Bathe Brandon was a 19th century New Zealand politician.-Early life:Brandon was born in London in 1809; his father was Henry Brandon. He was educated as a lawyer...
(Electorate abolished 1860–1871, see )
		Alfred Brandon Alfred Brandon Alfred de Bathe Brandon was a 19th century New Zealand politician.-Early life:Brandon was born in London in 1809; his father was Henry Brandon. He was educated as a lawyer...