Dunedin Central

Template:NZelectorateShortDesc Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use New Zealand English Dunedin Central was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890 and 1905 to 1984.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

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 1875–1876 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 Dunedin Central, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

History

Thomas Bracken, who at the Template:NZ election link had unsuccessfully contested the Template:NZ electorate link electorate, was the first representative.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". At the Template:NZ election link, Bracken was defeated by James Benn Bradshaw, but Bradshaw died during the term (on 1 September 1886) and Bracken won the resulting by-election. He served for the rest of the term and then retired.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

The Template:NZ election link was contested by Edward Cargill and Frederick Fitchett,^[1] and won by Fitchett.^[2] Fitchett served one term and then retired.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The electorate was abolished at the end of the term in 1890.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

When the electorate was recreated for the Template:NZ election link, the election was won by John A. Millar of the Liberal Party, who had represented various Dunedin electorates since Template:NZ election link year. At the next election in Template:NZ election link year, Millar successfully stood in the Dunedin West electorate.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

The Dunedin Central electorate was won by James Arnold in that year, who was also of the Liberal Party.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". At the Template:NZ election link, Arnold was beaten by Charles Statham.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Statham was a representative of the Reform Party, but became an Independent in 1919. Statham resigned after the Template:NZ election link, after irregularities in the counting of the vote turned a 12-vote lead for his competitor Jim Munro into a 12-vote loss. Munro, who represented the United Labour Party, and Statham contested the resulting Template:By-election link, which was narrowly won by Statham. He continued to represent the electorate until his retirement in 1935.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Peter Neilson of the Labour Party won the Template:NZ election link. He served for three terms before he retired in 1946.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". He was succeeded by Labour's Phil Connolly in the Template:NZ election link, who served six terms before he retired.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Brian MacDonell of the Labour Party won the Template:NZ election link and served seven terms until 1984, when the electorate was abolished.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". MacDonell then failed to get selected by Labour for the Dunedin West electorate and then stood as an Independent, but he was unsuccessful.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by nine Members of Parliament:Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Key

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Election	Winner
Template:NZ election link	width=5 rowspan=1 bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Thomas Bracken
Template:NZ election link	bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	James Benn Bradshaw
Template:By-election link small	bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Thomas Bracken (2nd period)
Template:NZ election link	bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Frederick Fitchett
(Electorate abolished 1890–1905)
Template:NZ election link	bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	John A. Millar
Template:NZ election link	bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	James Arnold
Template:NZ election link	rowspan = 3 bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Charles Statham
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Template:NZ election link	rowspan = 3 bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Peter Neilson
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Template:NZ election link	rowspan = 6 bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Phil Connolly
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Template:NZ election link	rowspan = 7 bgcolor=Template:Party color \|	Brian MacDonell
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(Electorate abolished in 1984; see Template:NZ electorate link)