View source for Dunedin Country

{{NZelectorateShortDesc|current=no|type=general|region=Otago}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2015}}
'''Dunedin Country''' was a parliamentary [[New Zealand electorates|electorate]] in the rural area surrounding the city of [[Dunedin]] in [[Otago]], New Zealand, from 1853 to 1860. It was a two-member electorate and was represented by a total of five members of parliament.

==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. Dunedin Country was one of the initial two-member electorates.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|pp=29f}} The electorate covered the [[Otago Province]] in its entirety with the exclusion of Dunedin, which was represented through the [[Dunedin (New Zealand electorate)|Town of Dunedin]] electorate.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|p=31}} The area was sparsely populated, but during its existence, [[Invercargill]] was laid out in 1856.<ref>{{cite web |title=Invercargill |url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/keyword/invercargill |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref>

The Constitution Act also allowed the [[New Zealand House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] to establish new electorates, and this was first done in 1858, when four new electorates were formed by splitting existing electorates.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|p=29}} {{NZ electorate link|Wallace}} was one of those four electorates, and it was established by splitting the Dunedin Country electorate.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|pp=29–31}}

In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the Dunedin Country electorate was abolished, and its area split between the Wallace, {{NZ electorate link|Bruce}}, and {{NZ electorate link|Hampden}} electorates.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|pp=33–35}}

==History==
Three people were nominated for the first election in {{NZ election link year|1853}}, but only [[William Cutten]] and [[John Cargill (politician)|John Cargill]] accepted the nomination. [[Edward McGlashan]] stated that he was not available to represent the electorate. The returning officer therefore declared Cutten and Cargill elected.<ref>{{cite news|title=Election of Members for the Country District to Serve in the General Assembly |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18531008.2.8 |access-date=15 June 2015 |work=[[Otago Witness]] |issue=125 |date=8 October 1853 |page=2}}</ref> Cutten resigned in 1855 before the end of the term of the term of the [[1st New Zealand Parliament]] citing business pressure;{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=188}} no by-election was held.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=191, 262}} John Cargill and his father William were elected unopposed on 11 December 1855 for the [[2nd New Zealand Parliament]].<ref name="1855 election">{{cite news |title=Election of Members for the House of Representatives |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18551215.2.7 |access-date=25 June 2010 |work=[[Otago Witness]] |date=15 December 1855|issue=212 |page=3}}</ref> John and William resigned in 1858 and October 1859, respectively. The first vacancy was filled by [[John Parkin Taylor]], who retired from parliament at the end of this term. The second vacancy was filled by [[Thomas Gillies]], who was declared elected unopposed.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=199}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Dunedin Country District |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18600331.2.17.1 |access-date=10 November 2015 |work=[[Otago Witness]] |issue=435 |date=31 March 1860 |page=5}}</ref>

===Members of Parliament===

The electorate was represented by five [[Member of parliament|members of parliament]].{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=262}}
{| class="wikitable" width=500
|-
|width=120|'''Election'''
|width=400 colspan=4|'''Winners'''
|-
| [[1853 New Zealand general election|1853 election]]
| width=5 rowspan=1 bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}} |
| width=195 rowspan=1 | [[William Cutten]]
| width=5 rowspan=2 bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}} |
| width=195 rowspan=2 | [[John Cargill (politician)|John Cargill]]
|-
| [[1855 New Zealand general election|1855 election]]
| rowspan=2 bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}} |
| rowspan=2 | [[William Cargill (New Zealand politician)|William Cargill]]
|-
| <span style="font-size:87%;">''[[1858 Dunedin Country by-election|1858 by-election]]''</span>
| rowspan=2 bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}} |
| rowspan=2 | [[John Parkin Taylor]]
|-
| <span style="font-size:87%;">''[[1860 Dunedin Country by-election|1860 by-election]]''</span>
| rowspan=1 bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}} |
| rowspan=1 | [[Thomas Gillies]]
|-
|colspan=5 align=center|<small>(Electorate abolished 1860; see {{NZ electorate link|Wallace}}, {{NZ electorate link|Bruce}}, and {{NZ electorate link|Hampden}})</small>
|}

==Election results==
Only one election in the Dunedin Country electorate was contested. At the two general elections and the [[1860 Dunedin Country by-election|1860 by-election]], the candidates were declared elected unopposed.

===1858 by-election===
{{Dunedin Country by-election, 1858}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book  |title=Electoral Atlas of New Zealand |last=McRobie |first=Alan |year=1989 |publisher=GP Books |location=Wellington |isbn=0-477-01384-8}}
*{{cite book | editor-last = Scholefield | editor-first = Guy | editor-link = Guy Scholefield | title = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L | volume = I | year = 1940 | publisher = [[Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)|Department of Internal Affairs]] | location = Wellington | url = https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v1.pdf | access-date = 15 November 2015}}
*{{cite book  |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}
 
{{Historic electorates of New Zealand | state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Historical electorates of New Zealand]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in New Zealand]]
[[Category:1860 disestablishments in New Zealand]]