Christchurch (New Zealand electorate)

This article is about the former Christchurch (New Zealand) electorate. For other uses, see Christchurch (disambiguation).

Christchurch was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand. It existed three times. Originally it was the Town of Christchurch from 1853 to 1860. From the 1860–61 election to the 1871 election, it existed as City of Christchurch. It then existed from the 1875–76 election until the 1881 election. The last period was from the 1890 election to the 1905 election. Since the 1946 election, a similarly named electorate called Christchurch Central has been in existence.

The historic electorate was represented by 21 Members of Parliament. For some of the time, it was represented by one member at a time. During other periods, it was one of the few three-member electorates in New Zealand.^[1]

1853 to 1871

From 1853 to 1871, the electorate was represented by one member at a time. Prior to the 1860-61 election, it was known as Town of Christchurch:^[1]

Election	Winner
1853 election		Henry Sewell
1855 election
1856 by-election[2]		Richard Packer
1860 by-election[3][4]		Henry Sewell
1860-61 election		John Cracroft Wilson
1866 election		James FitzGerald
1867 by-election		William Travers
1870 by-election		William Sefton Moorhouse

1875 to 1881

The electorate was recreated for the 1875–76 election and existed for two terms until the 1881 election as a three-member electorate.

George Grey was elected in both the Thames and the City of Christchurch electorates in September 1879.^[5] Grey came first in the three-member Christchurch electorate (Samuel Paull Andrews and Edward Stevens came second with equal numbers of votes, and only 23 votes ahead of Edward Richardson).^[6] Richardson petitioned against Grey's return on technical grounds, as Grey had already been elected in the Thames electorate.^[7][8] The electoral commission unseated Grey on 24 October,^[9] with Richardson offered to fill this vacancy a few days later. Grey kept the Thames seat and remained a member of parliament through that constituency.^[10]

Election	Winners
1875-76 election[11][12]		William Sefton Moorhouse		Edward Richardson		Edward Cephas John Stevens
1879 election[6][13]		Samuel Paull Andrews

1890 to 1905

From 1890 until the 1905 election, it was a three-member electorate again.^[1] The 1896 by-election was caused by the appointment of William Pember Reeves as Agent-General.^[14]

Election	Winners
1890 election[14][15]		Westby Brook Perceval		William Pember Reeves		Richard Molesworth Taylor
1891 by-election		Ebenezer Sandford[16]
1893 election[14]		George John Smith				William Whitehouse Collins
1896 by-election[14]				Charles Lewis
1896 election[17]						Tommy Taylor
1899 election		Harry Ell				William Whitehouse Collins (2nd period)
1901 by-election				George John Smith (2nd period)
1902 election				Thomas Henry Davey		Tommy Taylor (2nd period)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J. O. Wilson (1985, 4th edition, Government Printer, Wellington)
2. ^ "Canterbury". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Volume XV, Issue 79, 31 December 1856. p. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NENZC18561231.2.15. Retrieved 26 March 2010. 
3. ^ "Canterbury". Wellington Independent. Volume XV, Issue 1398, 17 January 1860. p. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WI18600117.2.13. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
4. ^ "Mr. Sewell's Policy". Wellington Independent. Volume XV, Issue 1402, 31 January 1860. p. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WI18600131.2.6. Retrieved 27 March 2010. 
5. ^ "General Election News". Wanganui Herald. Volume XII, Issue 9511, 11 September 1879. pp. 2. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WH18790911.2.10. Retrieved 16 March 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "The Christchurch Election". The Star. Issue 3563, 11 September 1879. pp. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18790911.2.28. Retrieved 19 March 2010. 
7. ^ "The Timaru Herald". Timaru Herald. Volume XXXI, Issue 1594, 30 October 1879. pp. 2. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=THD18791030.2.5. Retrieved 20 March 2010. 
8. ^ "The Christchurch Election". The Star. Issue 3608, 3 November 1879. pp. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18791103.2.25. Retrieved 20 March 2010. 
9. ^ "Sir George Grey unseated for Christchurch". Timaru Herald. Volume XXXI, Issue 1590, 25 October 1879. pp. 2. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=THD18791025.2.12. Retrieved 20 March 2010. 
10. ^ "Parliamentary". Poverty Bay Herald. Volume VI, Issue 934, 27 October 1879. pp. 2. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=PBH18791027.2.9. Retrieved 20 March 2010. 
11. ^ "General Elections". The Star. Issue 2431, 7 January 1876. p. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18760107.2.15. Retrieved 20 March 2010. 
12. ^ "The New Parliament". Daily Southern Cross. Volume XXXII, Issue 5708, 8 January 1876. p. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=DSC18760108.2.21. Retrieved 18 March 2010. 
13. ^ "The New Parliament". Clutha Leader. Volume VI, Issue 310, 12 September 1879. p. 5. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=CL18790912.2.19. Retrieved 18 March 2010. 
14. ^ ^{a b c d} "The Christchurch Election : The Nationalist Candidate Elected". Otago Witness. Issue 219, 20 February 1896. p. 21. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18960220.2.88. Retrieved 13 March 2010. 
15. ^ "General elections". The Star. Issue 7029, 6 December 1890. p. 4. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18901206.2.40. Retrieved 20 March 2010. 
16. ^ "The Christchurch Election". The Star. Issue 7291, 10 October 1891. p. 4. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18911010.2.64. Retrieved 16 March 2010. 
17. ^ "Other Electorates". Marlborough Express. Volume XXXI, Issue 284, 5 December 1896. p. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=MEX18961205.2.19.2. Retrieved 25 March 2010.