Temuka (New Zealand electorate)

Temuka was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand from 1911 to 1946. The electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament.

Population centres

In the 1911 electoral redistribution, the North Island gained a further seat from the South Island due to faster population growth. In addition, there were substantial population movements within each island, and significant changes resulted from this. Only four electorates were unaltered, five electorates were abolished, one former electorate was re-established, and four electorates, including Temuka, were created for the first time.^[1]

Through the 1911 electoral redistribution, the Geraldine electorate was abolished, and its area split between the new Temuka electorate and an enlarged Ashburton electorate. Initially, the Temuka electorate included the settlements of Temuka, Pleasant Point, Fairlie, Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook, and Twizel.^[2]

In the 1918 electoral redistribution, the Temuka electorate moved north and gained the town of Geraldine.^[3] In the 1922 electoral redistribution, the Temuka electorate moved slightly south with losing or gaining significant settlements.^[4]

In the 1927 electoral redistribution, the Temuka electorate moved significantly to the north, and Fairlie, Lake Tekapo, Twizel, and Mount Cook were lost, and Mt Somers was gained.^[5] Boundary changes through the 1937 electoral redistribution were minimal, with some area near the town of Temuka gained from the Timaru electorate.^[6] In the 1946 electoral redistribution, the Temuka electorate was abolished, with most of its area going to the Ashburton electorate, and the balance, including the town of Temuka, going to the Waimate electorate.^[7]

History

The electorate was established for the 1911 election.^[8] The first representative was Thomas Buxton of the Liberal Party, who had previously represented Geraldine and who retired at the end of the term in 1914.^[9] Charles John Talbot won the 1914 election,^[10] but was defeated at the 1919 election by Thomas Burnett of the Reform Party. Burnett represented Temuka until his death in 1941.^[9]

Jack Acland succeeded Burnett in a 1942 by-election. The electorate was abolished in 1946,^[8] and Acland was defeated standing for the Timaru electorate.^[11]

Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament.^[8]

Key

Liberal Reform National

Election	Winner
1911 election		Thomas Buxton
1914 election		Charles Talbot
1919 election		Thomas Burnett
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election
1931 election
1935 election
1935 election
1938 election
1942 by-election		Jack Acland
1943 election		Jack Acland
(Abolished in 1946; see Ashburton and Waimate)

Election results

1942 by-election

1942 Temuka by-election^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	National	Jack Acland	4,142	73.20
	Independent	Donald Cyrus Davie	1,516	26.80
Majority			2,626	46.40
Turnout			5,658

1938 election

1938 general election: Temuka^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Thomas Burnett	5,494	56.41	+5.84
	Labour	James Arnold Kearton	4,245	43.59
Majority			1,249	12.82	+6.32
Informal votes			28	0.29
Turnout			9,767	96.31	+4.27
Registered electors			10,141

1935 election

1935 general election: Temuka^[14]^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	Thomas Burnett	4,701	50.57	−6.94
	Labour	Thomas Herbert Langford	4,096	44.06	+1.57
	Democrat	James Cartwright^[16]	499	5.37
Majority			605	6.51	−8.51
Turnout			9,296	92.04	+4.00
Registered electors			10,100

1931 election

1931 general election: Temuka^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	Thomas Burnett	4,737	57.51	+7.01
	United	Thomas Herbert Langford	3,500	42.49	−7.01
Majority			1,237	15.02	+14.02
Informal votes			18	0.22	−0.15
Turnout			8,255	88.04	−2.53
Registered electors			9,376

1928 election

1928 general election: Temuka^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	Thomas Burnett	4,360	50.50	−3.20
	United	Thomas Herbert Langford	4,274	49.50
Majority			86	1.00	−6.40
Informal votes			32	0.37	−0.15
Turnout			8,666	90.57	−3.11
Registered electors			9,568

1925 election

1925 general election: Temuka^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	Thomas Burnett	3,883	53.70	+1.00
	Liberal	Charles John Talbot	3,348	46.30
Majority			535	7.40	+1.61
Informal votes			38	0.52	+0.06
Turnout			7,269	93.68	+3.27
Registered electors			7,759

1922 election

1922 general election: Temuka^[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Reform	Thomas Burnett	3,705	52.70	+2.46
	Liberal	Thomas Herbert Langford^{[nb 1]}	3,298	46.91
	Independent	Philip Richard Needham^[21]	28	0.40
Majority			407	5.79	+5.32
Informal votes			33	0.47	−0.33
Turnout			7,064	90.41	+9.23
Registered electors			7,813

Table footnotes:

^ Many sources refer to Langford as "Liberal-Labour"

1919 election

1919 general election: Temuka^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Reform	Thomas Burnett	3,294	50.24
	Liberal	Charles Talbot	3,263	49.76
Majority			31	0.47
Informal votes			53	0.80
Turnout			6,610	81.18
Registered electors			8,142

Notes

^ McRobie 1989, pp. 71–76.
^ McRobie 1989, p. 77.
^ McRobie 1989, pp. 77–81.
^ McRobie 1989, pp. 81–85.
^ McRobie 1989, pp. 85–89.
^ McRobie 1989, pp. 89–93.
^ McRobie 1989, pp. 93–97.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wilson 1985, p. 273.
^ ^a ^b Wilson 1985, p. 187.
^ Wilson 1985, p. 238.
^ Wilson 1985, p. 179.
^ "Two by-elections". The New Zealand Herald. 9 February 1942. p. 4.
^ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
^ The New Zealand Official Year-Book. Government Printer. 1936. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
^ "General Election". The Evening Post. Vol. CXX, no. 138. 7 December 1935. p. 11. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
^ "Democrat Party". Auckland Star. Vol. LXVI, no. 159. 8 July 1935. p. 3. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
^ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
^ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
^ The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
^ Hislop, J. (1923). The General Election, 1922. Government Printer. p. 5. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
^ "Needham's Novel Motions". New Zealand Truth. No. 884. 4 November 1922. p. 5. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
^ Hislop, J. (1921). The General Election, 1919. National Library. p. 5. Retrieved 6 December 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.