The 1977 electoral redistribution was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established through an amendment to the Representation Act in 1886, initiated by Muldoon's National Government.^[1] As part of the 1976 census, a large number of people failed to fill out an electoral re-registration card, and census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed. This had little practical effect for people on the general roll, but it transferred Māori to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, this resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the North Island.^[2] The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, and 22 electorates were abolished, while 27 electorates were newly created (including Albany) or re-established. These changes came into effect for the 1978 election.^[3]

The Albany electorate was centred on Albany, which had previously been part of Waitemata electorate.^[4] Its territory extended southwards to include Greenhithe and Paremoremo (also formerly part of Waitemata), plus a large portion of Glenfield (formerly split between Waitemata and East Coast Bays). It extended northwards to include Okura, Orewa, and Stanmore Bay (which were formerly part of Rodney electorate).^[4] For the 1984 election, however, the electorate was abolished. Glenfield and Greenhithe were split off to form the Glenfield electorate, and most of the remainder (including Albany itself) was absorbed into Rodney electorate.^[5]

The 1987 electoral redistribution took the continued population growth in the North Island into account, and two additional general electorates were created, bringing the total number of electorates to 97. In the South Island, the shift of population to Christchurch had continued.^[6] Overall, three electorates were newly created, three electorates were recreated (including Albany), and four electorates were abolished. All of those electorates were in the North Island. Changes in the South Island were restricted to boundary changes.^[7] These changes came into effect with the 1987 election.^[8] The Albany electorate was based around the portion of the former Albany which had been merged into Rodney, plus Greenhithe (which had become part of Glenfield). Glenfield itself remained its own electorate. The new Albany also included Hobsonville and Whenuapai, taken from West Auckland, and stretched as far north as Orewa.^[9] For the 1990 election, the electorate expanded to the west slightly, towards Kumeū, but this was effectively reversed at the 1993 election. When the transition to MMP prompted a major redistribution at the 1996 election, most of the Glenfield seat was merged into Albany, almost bringing the seat back to its original shape in 1978. It lost some ground to the west at the 1999 election. For the 2002 election, the seat was abolished once again — its western territories, including Greenhithe and Albany itself, became part of the new Helensville electorate, while the remainder was established as the new East Coast Bays electorate.

Don McKinnon of the National Party was the first representative of the electorate. He served for two terms from 1978, and successfully contested Rodney in 1984 election.^[10]

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  National

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1996 election edit

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1990 election edit

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1981 election edit

1978 election edit

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• 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.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.