Patea (New Zealand electorate)

Patea is a former New Zealand electorate in south Taranaki. It existed from 1893 to 1963.

Population centres

In the 1892 electoral redistribution, population shift to the North Island required the transfer of one seat from the South Island to the north. The resulting ripple effect saw every electorate established in 1890 have its boundaries altered, and eight electorates were established for the first time, including Patea.^[1]

The electorate was based on the town of Patea, which used to have a freezing-works for the preparation of meat for export until 1982.

History

This rural seat was first established for the 1893 election.^[2] George Hutchison was the first elected representative. He resigned in June 1901.^[3] Frederick Haselden won the 1 August 1901 by-election, but the seat was declared vacant^[4] in the following year.^[5] Walter Symes then held the electorate, from 1902 to the dissolution of Parliament in 1908.^[6]

The 1908 election was won by George Pearce. He held the electorate for three terms, until the dissolution of Parliament in 1919.^[7] He was succeeded by Walter Powdrell from 1919, who died partway through the term on 9 March 1921.^[8] Edwin Dixon won the 1921 by-election and held the electorate for the remainder of the term until 1922.^[9] James Randall Corrigan succeeded Dixon in 1922 and he held the electorate for one term until 1925.^[10] He was followed by Harold Dickie from 1925 to 1943.^[2]

William Sheat won the 1943 election plus the three subsequent elections. In 1954, Sheat failed to gain reselection after boundary changes as a National Party candidate. On 14 May of that year, he promptly resigned his seat and won it back in the 31 July 1954 by-election as an Independent, but subsequently did not stand in the 1954 general election.

The candidate chosen instead of Sheat, Roy Jack, was successful in 1954. He held the electorate until 1963, when it was abolished and replaced by the Waimarino electorate.

Members of Parliament

Key   Independent     Liberal     Reform     National  

Election	Winner
1893 election		George Hutchison
1896 election
1899 election
July 1901 by-election		Frederick Haselden
November 1901 by-election
1902 election		Walter Symes
1905 election
1908 election		George Pearce
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election		Walter Powdrell
1921 by-election		Edwin Dixon
1922 election		James Randall Corrigan
1925 election		Harold Dickie
1928 election
1931 election
1935 election
1938 election
1943 election		William Sheat
1946 election
1949 election
1951 election
1954 by-election
1954 election		Roy Jack
1957 election
1960 election
(Electorate abolished 1963)

Election results

1954 election

1954 general election: Patea

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	National	Roy Jack	5,547	45.06
	Labour		4,885	39.68
	Social Credit		1,879	15.26
Majority			662	5.38
Turnout			12,311	91.00
Registered electors			13,528
	National hold		Swing

1954 by-election

Patea by-election, 1954^[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Independent	William Sheat	3,648	48.11
	Labour	Benjamin R Winchcombe	3,630	47.87
	New Liberal	J Duggan	305	4.02
Majority			18	0.24
Turnout			7,583	50.12
Registered electors			15,131
	Independent gain from National		Swing

1951 election

1951 general election: Patea

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	National	William Sheat	7,910	59.24
	Labour	Finer	5,443	40.76
Majority			2,467	18.48
Informal votes
Turnout			13,353	88.25
Registered electors			15,131
	National hold		Swing

1931 election

General election, 1931: Patea^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Reform	Harold Dickie	5,976	70.66	+19.63
	Labour	W G Simpson	2,481	29.34
Majority			3,495	41.33	+39.27
Informal votes			90	1.05	+0.05
Turnout			8,547	84.53	-5.74
Registered electors			10,111

1928 election

General election, 1928: Patea^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Reform	Harold Dickie	4,511	51.03
	United	James Douglas Hislop[15]	4,329	48.97
Majority			182	2.06
Informal votes			90	1.01
Turnout			8,930	90.27
Registered electors			9,892

Patea by-election, 1921

Patea by-election, 1921^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Reform	Edwin Dixon	2,620	47.80
	Liberal	William Morrison	2,315	42.23	-24.37
	Labour	Lewis McIlvride	546	9.96
Majority			305	5.56
Turnout			5,481

1899 election

General election, 1899: Patea^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	George Hutchison	1,858	51.80
	Liberal	Arthur Remington	1,729	48.20
Majority			129	3.60
Turnout			3,587	74.00
Registered electors			4,847

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, pp. 59f.
2. Scholefield 1950, p. 162.
3. Scholefield 1925, p. 104.
4. Scholefield 1925, p. 100.
5. Wilson 1984, p. 270.
6. Scholefield 1925, p. 137.
7. Scholefield 1925, p. 125.
8. Scholefield 1925, p. 126.
9. Wilson 1984, p. 103.
10. Scholefield 1950, p. 101.
11. Norton 1988, p. ?.
12. "Close Vote in N.Z. Poll". The Sun-Herald. Sydney, NSW. 1 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
13. The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
14. The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
15. "Patea". The Evening Post. CVI (85). 19 October 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
16. "Patea by-election". The Northern Advocate. 14 April 1921. p. 2. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
17. "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 12 February 2014.

References

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
• Scholefield, Guy (1925) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record (2nd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.