Riccarton is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed from 1893 to 1978, and was represented by eight Members of Parliament.
In the 1892 electoral redistribution, population shift to the North Island required the transfer of one seat from the South Island to the north. The resulting ripple effect saw every electorate established in 1890 have its boundaries altered, and eight electorates were established for the first time, including Riccarton.[1]
The electorate was in the western suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, and was based on the suburb of Riccarton.
The electorate was created in 1893,[2] and existed to 1978 when it was abolished.
The first representative of the electorate was George Warren Russell, who started his parliamentary career with his 1893 election.[3] Russell was beaten in the 1896 election by William Rolleston,[4] who had distinguished himself through his contribution to education and his support for Canterbury Museum. Rolleston was the last Superintendent of Canterbury Province.[5] Russell regained the electorate in the 1899 election with a majority of one vote over Rolleston, which brought an end to that political career.[6] Russell lost the Riccarton electorate again in the 1902 election, this time to George Witty, who held the electorate for 23 years until 1925.[7]
The electorate was contested by three candidates in the 1922 election. George Witty was successful, with Bert Kyle coming second and Jack McCullough coming third.[8]
In the 1938 election, Labour's Thomas Herbert Langford came very close to defeating the National incumbent, Bert Kyle. Before the counting of the absentee and postal votes, Langford was leading by 38 votes.[9] The final count saw Kyle with a majority of 87 votes.[10]
The Riccarton electorate was represented by eight Members of Parliament.
Key
Liberal Conservative Independent Liberal
Reform Independent National Labour
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Eric Holland | 10,937 | 57.24 | +3.87 | |
Labour | Don Johnson | 6,171 | 32.29 | ||
Values | Beverley Hughes | 1,440 | 7.53 | ||
Social Credit | Jim Biggs | 503 | 2.63 | +0.32 | |
Imperial British Conservative | Brian Downham | 55 | 0.28 | ||
Majority | 4,766 | 24.94 | +12.72 | ||
Turnout | 19,106 | 83.49 | -8.17 | ||
Registered electors | 22,882 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Eric Holland | 9,451 | 53.37 | -2.35 | |
Labour | David Jackson | 7,287 | 41.15 | ||
Values | Peter Lusk | 441 | 2.49 | ||
Social Credit | Jim Biggs | 410 | 2.31 | ||
New Democratic | Charles Cullen | 91 | 0.51 | -4.51 | |
Independent | Earl Sydney William Constable | 26 | 0.14 | ||
Majority | 2,164 | 12.22 | -4.25 | ||
Turnout | 17,706 | 91.66 | +0.41 | ||
Registered electors | 19,317 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National | Eric Holland | 9,942 | 55.72 | ||
Labour | Alan C. McEwen | 7,003 | 39.25 | ||
Social Credit | Charles Cullen | 897 | 5.02 | -6.72 | |
Majority | 2,939 | 16.47 | |||
Turnout | 17,842 | 91.25 | +4.27 | ||
Registered electors | 19,551 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mick Connelly | 8,834 | 52.17 | -2.38 | |
National | Ian Wilson | 6,109 | 36.07 | -2.44 | |
Social Credit | Charles Cullen | 1,989 | 11.74 | +4.82 | |
Majority | 2,725 | 16.09 | +0.05 | ||
Turnout | 16,932 | 86.98 | -2.82 | ||
Registered electors | 19,466 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mick Connelly | 8,670 | 54.55 | -6.42 | |
National | Ian Wilson | 6,120 | 38.51 | ||
Social Credit | Charles Cullen | 1,101 | 6.92 | -0.52 | |
Majority | 2,550 | 16.04 | +1.27 | ||
Turnout | 15,891 | 89.80 | -11.04 | ||
Registered electors | 17,695 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mick Connelly | 8,342 | 60.97 | +3.45 | |
National | Deena V. Sergel | 4,320 | 31.57 | -5.66 | |
Social Credit | Charles Cullen | 1,019 | 7.44 | ||
Majority | 2,022 | 14.77 | -5.52 | ||
Turnout | 13,681 | 78.76 | -13.29 | ||
Registered electors | 17,370 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mick Connelly | 8,128 | 57.52 | -3.93 | |
National | Deena V. Sergel | 5,261 | 37.23 | ||
Social Credit | Jesse Colechin | 740 | 5.23 | ||
Majority | 2,867 | 20.29 | +15.51 | ||
Turnout | 14,129 | 92.05 | +25.77 | ||
Registered electors | 15,348 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Mick Connelly | 6,549 | 61.45 | ||
National | Balfour Grieve Dingwall | 2,691 | 25.25 | -0.96 | |
Social Credit | Wilfrid Owen | 1,379 | 12.94 | ||
Ind. Social Credit | Ernest Yealands | 28 | 0.26 | ||
Independent | Richard Israel Charles Grenfell | 11 | 0.10 | ||
Informal votes | 40 | 0.37 | |||
Majority | 3,858 | 36.20 | |||
Turnout | 10,698 | 66.28 | -24.33 | ||
Registered electors | 16,140 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Angus McLagan | 8,195 | 56.03 | -1.64 | |
National | Balfour Grieve Dingwall | 3,832 | 26.19 | ||
Social Credit | Jesse Colechin | 2,599 | 17.76 | ||
Majority | 4,343 | 29.69 | +14.34 | ||
Turnout | 14,626 | 90.61 | +3.30 | ||
Registered electors | 16,140 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Angus McLagan | 8,506 | 57.67 | -0.83 | |
National | Eric Philip Wills | 6,241 | 42.32 | ||
Majority | 2,265 | 15.35 | -3.03 | ||
Turnout | 14,747 | 87.31 | -4.34 | ||
Registered electors | 16,889 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Angus McLagan | 8,613 | 58.50 | -5.22 | |
National | Harry Lake | 5,906 | 40.11 | ||
Communist | Ronald Taylor | 204 | 1.38 | ||
Majority | 2,707 | 18.38 | -9.13 | ||
Turnout | 14,723 | 91.65 | -0.24 | ||
Registered electors | 16,063 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Angus McLagan | 8,974 | 63.72 | ||
National | Vic Wilson | 5,109 | 36.27 | ||
Majority | 3,875 | 27.51 | |||
Turnout | 14,083 | 91.89 | |||
Registered electors | 15,325 |
There were four candidates in 1943, with the election won by Jack Watts over Harold Ernest Denton.[13]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reform | Bert Kyle | 4,355 | 40.09 | -2.28 | |
Independent | Archibald Albany McLachlan[mb 1] | 3,766 | 34.67 | -7.28 | |
Labour | G. T. Thurston | 2,741 | 25.23 | ||
Majority | 589 | 5.42 | +5.00 | ||
Informal votes | 67 | 0.61 | -0.21 | ||
Turnout | 10,929 | 87.24 | -2.84 | ||
Registered electors | 12,528 |
Table footnotes:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reform | Bert Kyle | 4,515 | 42.37 | ||
United | Archibald Albany McLachlan[nb 1] | 4,470 | 41.95 | ||
Labour | George Hartley Thompson[16] | 1,671 | 15.68 | ||
Majority | 45 | 0.42 | |||
Informal votes | 88 | 0.82 | |||
Turnout | 10,744 | 90.07 | |||
Registered electors | 11,928 |
Table footnotes:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | George Witty | 2,948 | 40.74 | ||
Reform | William Russell Devereux | 2,322 | 32.09 | ||
Labour | John Robertson[19] | 1,966 | 27.17 | ||
Majority | 626 | 8.65 | |||
Informal votes | 89 | 1.22 | |||
Turnout | 7,325 | 84.97 | |||
Registered electors | 8,621 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | George Witty | 2,294 | 55.54 | ||
Conservative | Thomas Caverhill | 1,054 | 25.52 | ||
Independent Liberal | George Warren Russell | 679 | 16.44 | ||
Liberal–Labour | John Ash Efford | 103 | 2.49 | ||
Majority | 1,240 | 30.02 | |||
Informal votes | 66 | 1.57 | |||
Turnout | 4,196 | 84.12 | |||
Registered electors | 4,988 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | George Warren Russell | 1,867 | 50.01 | +5.98 | |
Conservative | William Rolleston | 1,866 | 49.99 | -5.98 | |
Majority | 1 | 0.03 | -11.90 | ||
Turnout | 3,733 | 81.42 | +1.88 | ||
Registered electors | 4,585 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Rolleston | 1,834 | 55.97 | ||
Liberal | George Warren Russell | 1,443 | 44.03 | ||
Majority | 391 | 11.93 | |||
Turnout | 3,277 | 79.54 | |||
Registered electors | 4,120 |