Hamilton (New Zealand electorate)

Template:NZelectorateShortDesc Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Hamilton is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate that existed from 1922 to 1969. The electorate covered the urban area of the city of Hamilton. In 1969, the city was part of two rural electorates, Template:NZ electorate link and Template:NZ electorate link. For the 1972 election, the nature of Hamilton East changed to urban, and the Template:NZ electorate link electorate complements it to form a second urban electorate.

Five members of parliament have served the Hamilton electorate over its 47 years of existence. Two of them died in office, and both deaths caused by-elections.

Population centres

In the 1922 electoral redistribution, the North Island gained one electorate from the South Island due to faster population growth. The Template:NZ electorate link electorate was abolished, and the Hamilton electorate was created for the first time.Template:Sfn For the purposes of the country quota, the initial electorate was classed as two thirds urban and one third rural, and covered the city of Hamilton.Template:Sfn

Through an amendment in the Electoral Act in 1965, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, an increase of one since the 1962 electoral redistribution.Template:Sfn It was accepted that through the more rapid population growth in the North Island, the number of its electorates would continue to increase, and to keep proportionality, three new electorates were allowed for in the 1967 electoral redistribution for the next election.Template:Sfn In the North Island, five electorates were newly created and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished (including Hamilton).Template:Sfn In the South Island, three electorates were newly created and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished.Template:Sfn The overall effect of the required changes was highly disruptive to existing electorates, with all but three electorates having their boundaries altered.Template:Sfn These changes came into effect with the Template:NZ election link.Template:Sfn

History

The Hamilton electorate was first used in the Template:NZ election link.Template:Sfn The electorate's first representative was Alexander Young of the Reform Party, who had since the Template:NZ election link represented the Template:NZ electorate link electorate, but chose to stand in the new electorate in 1922 instead.Template:Sfn Young remained the representative until the Template:NZ election link, when he was defeated by Labour's Charles Barrell.Template:Sfn Barrell in turn was defeated in the Template:NZ election link by National's Frank Findlay, who died in office on 31 March 1945.Template:Sfn

Findlay's death caused the Template:By-election link, which was won by National's Hilda Ross.Template:Sfn Ross died in office on 6 March 1959, and this caused the Template:By-election link, which was won by National's Lance Adams-Schneider.Template:Sfn Adams-Schneider served until the end of the term in 1969, when the electorate was abolished.Template:Sfn He transferred to the Waikato electorate, which covered the area east of the Waikato River and that was recreated for the Template:NZ election link.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The 1967 electoral redistribution created a new electorate called Template:NZ electorate link electorate. Its eastern boundary was the Waikato River, but it incorporated much of the former Template:NZ electorate link electorate, extended to the Tasman Sea, and was thus more rural in nature.Template:Sfn

The 1972 electoral redistribution created the Template:NZ electorate link electorate and at the same time, the Hamilton West electorate lost its rural hinterland to Template:NZ electorate link. Hence, two urban electorates covered Hamilton for the Template:NZ election link.Template:Sfn

Members of Parliament

Key

Election	Winner
Template:NZ election link	width=5px rowspan=4 bgcolor=Template:Party color |	Alexander Young
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link	rowspan=2 bgcolor=Template:Party color |	Charles Barrell
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link	bgcolor=Template:Party color |	Frank Findlay
Template:By-election link small	rowspan=6 bgcolor=Template:Party color |	Hilda Ross
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:By-election link small	rowspan=4 bgcolor=Template:Party color |	Lance Adams-Schneider
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
Template:NZ election link
(Electorate abolished 1969; see Template:NZ electorate link)

Election results

1966 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1966 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Sfn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lance Adams-Schneider	Template:Replace	48.66
		Bob Reese	5,143	33.96
		Don Bethune	2,629	17.36
Majority			2,225	14.69
Turnout			15,140	85.29

1963 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1963 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Sfn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lance Adams-Schneider	Template:Replace	54.16
		J M Cairns	5,826	37.26
		Don Bethune	917	5.86
		N W Bunting	424	2.71
Majority			2,642	16.89
Turnout			15,635	88.50

1960 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1960 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Sfn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lance Adams-Schneider	Template:Replace	54.89
		Sir Basil Arthur	5,639	37.64
		Don Bethune	1,117	7.45
Majority			2,583	17.24
Turnout			14,978	88.89

1957 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1957 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Sfn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hilda Ross	Template:Replace	50.41
		Ben Waters	6,611	43.16
		Robert Gill Young	983	6.41
Majority			1,110	7.24
Turnout			15,315	92.27

1954 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1954 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Sfn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hilda Ross	Template:Replace	49.60
		Ben Waters	7,191	41.37
		Robert Gill Young	1,568	9.02
Majority			1,430	8.22
Turnout			17,380	91.52

1951 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1951 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Sfn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hilda Ross	Template:Replace	58.36
		Ben Waters	5,601	41.63
Majority			2,252	16.73
Turnout			13,454	88.27

1949 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1949 general election: Hamilton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hilda Ross	Template:Replace	55.85
		Jack Granville	6,047	44.14
Majority			1,605	11.71
Turnout			13,699	94.37

1946 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1946 general election: Hamilton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hilda Ross	Template:Replace	51.23
		Jack Granville	6,451	48.76
Majority			327	2.47
Turnout			13,229	92.60

1943 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1943 general election: HamiltonTemplate:Refn

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Frank Findlay	Template:Replace	48.04
		Charles Barrell	7,206	45.20
		Alfred E. Allen	885	5.55
		William Henry Thompson	193	1.21
Majority			454	2.85
Informal votes			167	1.04
Turnout			16,111	92.21

Table footnotes:

1938 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1938 general election: Hamilton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles Barrell	Template:Replace	56.85
		Albert William GrantTemplate:Sfn	5,862	43.15
Majority			1,860	13.69
Informal votes			88	0.64
Turnout			13,672	93.31

1935 election

1935 general election: Hamilton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles Barrell	Template:Replace	45.53
		Alexander Young	4,141	34.07
		Harold David Caro	2,479	20.39
Majority			1,391	11.44
Turnout			12,152

1931 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1931 general election: Hamilton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alexander Young	Template:Replace	65.17
		Hubert Beebe	2,579	28.61
		Charles Lafferty	561	6.22
Majority			3,295	36.55
Informal votes			94	1.03
Turnout			9,108	74.58

1928 election

Template:Election box Registered electors

1928 general election: Hamilton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alexander Young	Template:Replace	44.81
		Samuel Charles Lye	3,456	34.19
		Bill Schramm	2,123	21.00
Majority			1,073	10.62
Informal votes			128	1.25
Turnout			10,236	83.71