Motueka and Massacre Bay (New Zealand electorate)

Motueka and Massacre Bay was one of the original parliamentary electorates created for the 1st New Zealand Parliament. It existed from 1853 to 1860 and was represented by three Members of Parliament. In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the area was split in half, and the Motueka and Collingwood electorates were created from it.

Population centres

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed by the British government, allowed New Zealand to establish a representative government. The initial 24 New Zealand electorates were defined by Governor George Grey in March 1853. Motueka and Massacre Bay was one of the initial single-member electorates.[1]

For the 1853 election, there were 94 registered electors. For the next general election held in 1855, there were 206 registered voters.[2] Settlements within the electorate were Motueka, Takaka, and Collingwood.[3] The modern name of Massacre Bay is Golden Bay.[4]

In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of representatives by 12, reflecting the immense population growth since the original electorates were established in 1853. The redistribution created 15 additional electorates with between one and three members.[5] The Motueka and Massacre Bay electorate was split up, and about half the area went to the Motueka electorate, and the other half went to the Collingwood electorate.[6]

History

During the 1st and 2nd New Zealand Parliament, Motueka and Massacre Bay was represented by three Members of Parliament: Alfred Christopher Picard 1853–55, Charles Parker 1855–56, and Herbert Curtis 1856–60. Picard died on 17 September 1855, only two days after the dissolution of the 1st Parliament.[7] The 1855 election was contested by Edward Dodson Salisbury and Charles Parker, with Parker being successful.[8] On nomination day, David Jennings was also nominated but he withdrew prior to the election.[9][10][11]

Members

Key   Independent  

Election Winner
1853 election Alfred Christopher Picard
1855 election Charles Parker
1856 by-election Herbert Curtis[12]

Election results

1855 election
1855 general election: Motueka and Massacre Bay[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Charles Parker 80 84.21
Independent Edward Dodson Salisbury[note 1] 15 15.79
Majority 65 68.42 +24.84
Turnout 95 46.12 -3.18
Registered electors 206[2]

1853 election
1853 general election: Motueka and Massacre Bay[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Alfred Christopher Picard 44 57.89
Independent Samuel Stephens 32 42.11
Majority 12 15.79
Turnout 76 80.85
Registered electors 94[2]

Footnotes
  1. Please see this WikiTree biography for Salisbury

Notes
  1. McRobie 1989, pp. 29f.
  2. McRobie 1989, p. 30.
  3. McRobie 1989, p. 31.
  4. George William Grindley (1966). McLintock, A. H. (ed.). "Golden Bay". Te Ara. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  5. McRobie 1989, p. 35.
  6. McRobie 1989, pp. 31, 35.
  7. "Died". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. XIV (50). 19 September 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  8. Wilson 1985, p. 225.
  9. "Motueka Election". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. XIV (61). 27 October 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  10. "Motueka and Massacre Bay". The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. XIV. 3 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  11. "Correspondence". The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. XIV (68). 21 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  12. Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Present And Past Members Of Parliament". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  13. "Election Intelligence". The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. XIV (69). 24 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  14. "Election of a Member to represent the Motueka and Massacre Bay Districts in the General Assembly". The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. XII (598). 20 August 1853. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2019.

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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