Wellington North (New Zealand electorate)

Wellington North
Single-member general constituency for the New Zealand House of Representatives
Formation1905, 2026
RegionWellington
CharacterUrban
Term3 years
Member for Wellington North

Wellington North was, from 1905 to 1946, a parliamentary electorate within the area encompassing New Zealand's capital, Wellington. The electorate was represented by four members of parliament; the Wellington Central electorate is being renamed Wellington North for the 2026 general election following the 2025 boundary review.[1]

Population centres

The seat covers the central and northern suburbs of Wellington including the CBD, Thorndon, Pipitea, Te Aro, Aro Valley, Oriental Bay, Mount Victoria, Kelburn, Northland, Karori, Wilton, Ngaio, Khandallah, Broadmeadows, Kaiwharawhara, Crofton Downs and Wadestown.[2]

History

Through the City Single Electorates Act, 1903, the three-member electorates of the four main centres were split again, and this became effective at the end of the 15th Parliament and was thus used for the 1905 election. The City of Wellington electorate was split into the Wellington East, Wellington Central, and Wellington North electorates.[3] The electorate covered areas north of the central city. For the purpose of the country quota, the electorate has always been regarded as fully urban.[4] In the 1937 electoral redistribution, Somes Island was transferred from the Hutt to the Wellington North electorate.[5]

The Wellington Central electorate is being renamed Wellington North for the 2026 general election after the 2025 boundary review to accommodate the reduction of one North Island electorate and the general population shifts to the northern suburbs of Wellington.[6]

Members of parliament

Until its abolition in 1946, the electorate was represented by four members of parliament.[7]

Charles Hayward Izard of the Liberal Party was the electorate's first representative from 1905 to 1908,[8] when he was defeated by Alexander Herdman.[9] Herdman had previously represented the Mount Ida electorate. He joined the Reform Party but resigned from Parliament in February 1918.[10]

Herdman was succeeded by John Luke of the Reform Party in the resulting 1918 by-election.[11] In the 1928 election, Luke was defeated by Charles Chapman of the Labour Party. Chapman represented the electorate from 1928 to 1946, and moved to the Wellington Central electorate when Wellington North was abolished.[12]

Key

  Liberal   Conservative   Reform   Labour

Election Winner
1905 election Charles Hayward Izard
1908 election Alexander Herdman
1911 election
1914 election
1918 by-election John Luke
1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election Charles Chapman
1931 election
1935 election
1938 election
1943 election
(electorate abolished 1946; see Onslow)

Election results

1943 election

1943 general election: Wellington North[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Chapman 7,348 49.80 −10.29
National Thomas Hislop 5,451 36.94
Democratic Labour Horace Herring 1,016 6.89
People's Movement Rugby Malcolm 427 2.89
Independent Arthur Carman 298 2.02
Informal votes 215 1.46 +0.77
Majority 1,897 12.86 −7.83
Turnout 14,755

1938 election

1938 general election: Wellington North[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Chapman 9,522 60.09 +16.47
Independent Liberal Elizabeth Gilmer 6,244 39.40 +2.65
Independent Thomas Folckman Simpson 80 0.50
Informal votes 110 0.69 −0.22
Majority 3,278 20.69 +13.82
Turnout 15,956 85.29 +1.87
Registered electors 18,709

1935 election

1935 general election: Wellington North[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Chapman 5,039 43.62 −0.61
Independent Elizabeth Gilmer 4,245 36.75
Reform Charles Treadwell 2,266 19.61
Informal votes 106 0.91 +0.25
Majority 794 6.87 −3.49
Turnout 11,550 83.42 +12.09
Registered electors 13,845

1931 election

1931 general election: Wellington North[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Chapman 4,531 44.23 −4.84
Reform George Troup 3,470 33.87
Independent John Luke 2,243 21.90 −26.74
Informal votes 68 0.66 −1.63
Majority 1,061 10.36 +9.95
Turnout 10,312 71.33 −10.10
Registered electors 14,457

1928 election

1928 general election: Wellington North[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Chapman 5,611 49.07
Reform John Luke 5,564 48.64 −2.66
Informal votes 263 2.29 +1.15
Majority 47 0.41
Turnout 11,438 81.43 −7.22
Registered electors 14,046

1925 election

1925 general election: Wellington North[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Luke 5,712 51.30 +7.40
Labour Harry Combs 3,766 33.82 −6.52
Liberal Jack McGrath 1,528 13.72
Informal votes 127 1.14 +0.02
Majority 1,946 17.47 +13.91
Turnout 11,133 88.65 −0.98
Registered electors 12,558

1922 election

1922 general election: Wellington North[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Luke 4,624 43.90 +1.20
Labour Harry Combs 4,249 40.34
Liberal James Young 1,540 14.62
Informal votes 118 1.12 +0.21
Majority 375 3.56 −7.81
Turnout 10,531 89.63 +11.30
Registered electors 11,749

1919 election

1919 general election: Wellington North[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Luke 3,999 42.70 +0.81
Liberal H. Oakley Browne 2,934 31.33
Labour John Read 2,345 25.04
Majority 1,065 11.37 +5.48
Informal votes 86 0.91 +0.35
Turnout 9,364 78.33
Registered electors 11,954

1918 by-election

1918 Wellington North by-election[21][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Luke 2,986 41.89
Labour Harry Holland 2,566 35.99 +15.50
Liberal Alfred Brandon 816 11.44
Independent Liberal Angus James Neville Polson 720 10.10
Majority 420 5.89
Informal votes 40 0.56 −0.70
Turnout 7,128
Reform hold Swing

1914 election

1914 general election: Wellington North[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Alexander Herdman 4,550 55.23 +2.15
Liberal William Turnbull 1,895 23.00
Social Democrat Harry Holland 1,688 20.49
Majority 2,655 32.23 +3.61
Informal votes 104 1.26 −0.46
Turnout 8,237 82.90 +8.75
Registered electors 9,936

1911 election

1911 general election: Wellington North[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Alexander Herdman 4,193 53.08 −2.93
Liberal Arnold Woodford Izard 2,386 30.20
Labour Elijah Carey 1,185 15.00
Informal votes 136 1.72 +1.30
Majority 2,261 28.62 +16.17
Turnout 7,900 74.15 +6.91
Registered electors 10,654

1908 election

1908 general election: Wellington North, first ballot[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Herdman 2,824 41.57
Independent Liberal Frederick Bolton 1,858 27.35
Liberal Charles Hayward Izard 1,833 26.98 −23.84
Independent Henry Bodley 131 1.92
Informal votes 147 2.16 +0.73
Turnout 6,793 68.85
Second ballot result
Conservative Alexander Herdman 3,716 56.01 +14.44
Independent Liberal Frederick Bolton 2,890 43.56 +16.21
Informal votes 28 0.42 −1.74
Majority 826 12.45
Turnout 6,634 67.24 −1.61

1905 election

1905 general election: Wellington North[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Hayward Izard 3,283 50.82
Conservative John Duthie 2,794 43.25
Ind. Labour League George Macfarlane 290 4.48
Informal votes 93 1.43
Majority 489 7.56
Turnout 6,460

Notes

  1. ^ Natanahira, Tuwhenuaroa; Online, Māori news journalist in Parliament RNZ (8 August 2025). "From new names to new boundaries: Here's what's happening to your voting electorate". RNZ. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  2. ^ Natanahira, Tuwhenuaroa; Online, Māori news journalist in Parliament RNZ (8 August 2025). "From new names to new boundaries: Here's what's happening to your voting electorate". RNZ. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  3. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 66ff.
  4. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 71.
  5. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 90f.
  6. ^ Report of the Representation Commission 2025 (PDF). Representation Commission. 8 August 2025. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-473-75233-0. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  7. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 276.
  8. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 207.
  9. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 204, 207.
  10. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 204.
  11. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 213.
  12. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 189.
  13. ^ "Public Notices". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXVI, no. 136. 6 December 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  14. ^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  15. ^ The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  16. ^ "Declaration of Result of Poll for the Electoral District of Wellington North". The Evening Post. Vol. CXII, no. 140. 10 December 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  17. ^ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 6. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  18. ^ The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  19. ^ The General Election, 1922. Government Printer. 1923. p. 2. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  20. ^ Hislop, J. (1921). The General Election, 1919. National Library. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  21. ^ "Wellington North". Colonist. Vol. LX, no. 14665. 20 March 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ^ "Wellington North electorate". Free Lance. Vol. XVII, no. 919. 22 February 1918. p. 9. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  24. ^ "The General Election, 1911". National Library. 1912. pp. 1–14. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  25. ^ "The General Election, 1908". National Library. 1909. pp. 1–34. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  26. ^ "The General Election, 1905". National Library. 1906. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 March 2014.

References

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