Kumara (New Zealand electorate)

Kumara was a parliamentary electorate in the West Coast region of New Zealand, from 1881 to 1890.

Population centres

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European population had increased by 65%. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of European representatives to 91 (up from 84 since the 1875–76 election). The number of Māori electorates was held at four. The House further decided that electorates should not have more than one representative, which led to 35 new electorates being formed, including Kumara, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.[1]

The electorate got its name from the town of Kumara. The northern boundary of the electorate was the Taramakau River over its entire length (i.e. up to Harper's Pass). The electorate was located between the Greymouth and Hokitika electorates. The eastern boundary was the old boundary between the Canterbury and Westland Provinces.[1]

In the 1887 electoral redistribution, the northern boundary shifted further north, and Lake Brunner was gained.[2]

History

Kumara was established for the 1881 election and was abolished after three parliamentary terms in 1890. The electorate was represented by one Member of Parliament, the future Premier Richard Seddon, known as 'King Dick'.[3] Seddon had previously, since the 1879 election, represented Hokitika. Following the abolition of the Kumara electorate, Seddon successfully stood in the Westland electorate in the 1890 election.[4] He became Premier in 1893.[5]

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent  

Election Winner
1881 election Richard Seddon
1884 election
1887 election

Election results

1887 election
1887 general election, Kumara[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Richard Seddon Unopposed
Registered electors 1,816

1884 election
1884 general election, Kumara[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Richard Seddon 667 57.31 +4.33
Independent Edwin Blake 497 42.69 -4.43
Majority 170 14.60 +8.86
Turnout 1,164 62.61 +4.21
Registered electors 1,859

1881 election
1881 general election, Kumara[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Richard Seddon 700 52.88
Independent Edwin Blake 624 47.12
Majority 76 5.74
Turnout 1,324 58.40
Registered electors 2,267

Notes
  1. McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
  2. McRobie 1989, pp. 51–53.
  3. Wilson 1985, p. 266.
  4. Wilson 1985, p. 233.
  5. Hamer, David. "Seddon, Richard John - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  6. "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  7. Cooper, G. S. (1884). The General Election, 1884. National Library. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  8. Cooper, G. S. (1882). Votes Recorded for Each Candidate. Government Printer. Retrieved 24 October 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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References
  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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