Hastings (New Zealand electorate)

Hastings was a parliamentary electorate in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand from 1946 to 1996. The electorate was represented by nine Members of Parliament. The Hastings electorate was a typical bellwether electorate, frequently changing between the two main parties.

Population centres

The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Hastings.^[1] The towns of Hastings and Havelock North have always been located within the electorate until the 1987 electoral redistribution, whereas the nearby Fernhill was always included in the adjacent Hawke's Bay electorate.^[2][3]

History

The first representative was Ted Cullen of the Labour Party.^[4] At the 1949 election, Cullen was defeated by Sydney Jones of the National Party.^[5] After two electoral terms, Jones was in turn defeated by Labour's Ted Keating, who served until his defeat in 1960.^[6] Subsequent office holders were Duncan MacIntyre (1960–1972), Richard Mayson (1972–1975), Bob Fenton (1975–1978), David Butcher (1978–1990), Jeff Whittaker (1990–1993), and Rick Barker (1993–1996).^[7]

Members of Parliament

The Hastings electorate was represented by nine Members of Parliament:^[7]

Key

  Labour   National

Election	Winner
1946 election		Ted Cullen
1949 election		Sydney Jones
1951 election
1954 election		Ted Keating
1957 election
1960 election		Duncan MacIntyre
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election
1972 election		Richard Mayson
1975 election		Bob Fenton
1978 election		David Butcher
1981 election
1984 election
1987 election
1990 election		Jeff Whittaker
1993 election		Rick Barker
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Tukituki)

Election results

1993 election

1993 general election: Hastings^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rick Barker	9,000	45.02
	National	Cynthia Bowers	6,429	32.16
	Alliance	Pat Weir	2,689	13.45
	NZ First	John Waitere	932	4.66
	Christian Heritage	Rex Jones	640	3.20
	McGillicuddy Serious	John Morrison	128	0.64
	Independent	Geoffrey Charters	104	0.52	−0.60
	Natural Law	Martin Ouseley	66	0.33
Majority			2,571	12.86
Turnout			19,988	86.19	+0.01
Registered electors			23,188

1990 election

1990 general election: Hastings^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Jeff Whittaker	9,132	45.96	+3.55
	Labour	David Butcher	8,404	42.29	−11.54
	Green	Matthew Ball	1,246	6.27
	NewLabour	Greg Maher	688	3.46
	Independent	Geoffrey Charters	223	1.12
	Democrats	Mary Sanders	176	0.88	−2.87
Majority			728	3.66
Turnout			19,869	86.18	−3.46
Registered electors			23,055

1987 election

1987 general election: Hastings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Butcher	10,879	53.83	+2.62
	National	Jeff Whittaker	8,572	42.41
	Democrats	Mary Sanders	758	3.75
Majority			2,307	11.41	−8.16
Turnout			20,209	89.64	−3.54
Registered electors			22,544

1984 election

1984 general election: Hastings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Butcher	11,179	51.21	+5.97
	National	Peter Brown	6,906	31.64
	NZ Party	Sara Slavin	2,803	12.84
	Social Credit	John Rabarts	938	4.29
Majority			4,273	19.57	+10.74
Turnout			21,826	93.18	+1.78
Registered electors			23,423

1981 election

1981 general election: Hastings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Butcher	9,453	45.24	+7.82
	National	Hamish Kynoch	7,608	36.41
	Social Credit	Gary Clover	3,764	18.01
	Independent	A J L D Wedekind	68	0.32
Majority			1,845	8.83	+7.22
Turnout			20,893	91.40	+19.95
Registered electors			22,857

1978 election

1978 general election: Hastings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Butcher	7,748	37.42
	National	Bob Fenton	7,414	35.81	−9.48
	Social Credit	Jeremy Dwyer	5,373	25.95	+17.03
	Values	C L Amery	148	0.71
	Independent	R MacGregor	20	0.09
Majority			334	1.61
Turnout			20,703	71.45	−14.07
Registered electors			28,972

1975 election

1975 general election: Hastings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Bob Fenton	9,071	45.29
	Labour	Richard Mayson	8,580	42.84	−7.52
	Social Credit	Jeremy Dwyer	1,788	8.92
	Values	Graeme Cook	587	2.93
Majority			491	2.45
Turnout			20,026	85.52	−5.36
Registered electors			23,415

1972 election

1972 general election: Hastings^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Richard Mayson	9,117	50.36	+5.74
	National	Duncan MacIntyre	7,969	44.02	−4.66
	Social Credit	George Neville Whitcombe	663	3.66	−3.03
	Values	Robin Duff	304	1.67
	New Democratic	Gwendoline Alice Dick	50	0.27
Majority			1,148	6.34
Turnout			18,103	90.88	+0.97
Registered electors			19,918

1969 election

1969 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Duncan MacIntyre	8,458	48.68	−2.61
	Labour	Richard Mayson	7,752	44.62
	Social Credit	George Neville Whitcombe	1,163	6.69	−3.38
Majority			706	4.06	−8.59
Turnout			17,373	89.91	+1.27
Registered electors			19,321

1966 election

1966 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Duncan MacIntyre	8,626	51.29	−1.64
	Labour	Sonja Davies	6,497	38.63
	Social Credit	George Neville Whitcombe	1,695	10.07
Majority			2,129	12.65	+0.85
Turnout			16,818	88.64	−3.87
Registered electors			18,973

1963 election

1963 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Duncan MacIntyre	8,719	52.93	+5.14
	Labour	Ted Keating	6,775	41.14	−4.86
	Social Credit	George Thew	978	5.93	−1.88
Majority			1,944	11.80	+10.00
Turnout			16,472	92.51	+1.86
Registered electors			17,804

1960 election

1960 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Duncan MacIntyre	7,965	47.79
	Labour	Ted Keating	7,665	46.00	−5.11
	Social Credit	George Thew	1,302	7.81	+2.93
Majority			300	1.80
Turnout			16,662	90.65	−3.04
Registered electors			18,379

1957 election

1957 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ted Keating	8,146	50.89	+4.28
	National	Arthur Heary Sievewright	7,076	44.21
	Social Credit	George Thew	782	4.88	−3.53
Majority			1,070	6.68	+5.03
Turnout			16,004	93.69	−0.15
Registered electors			17,081

1954 election

1954 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ted Keating	7,087	46.61
	National	Sydney Jones	6,835	44.96	−8.76
	Social Credit	George Thew	1,280	8.41
Majority			252	1.65
Turnout			15,202	93.84	+4.56
Registered electors			16,199

1951 election

1951 general election: Hastings^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Sydney Jones	8,198	53.72	+0.44
	Labour	Henry Edward Beattie	7,060	46.27
Majority			1,138	7.45	+0.89
Turnout			15,258	89.28	−3.58
Registered electors			17,090

1949 election

1949 general election: Hastings^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Sydney Jones	7,965	53.28
	Labour	Ted Cullen	6,983	46.72	−5.00
Majority			982	6.56
Turnout			14,948	92.86	−1.75
Registered electors			16,097

1946 election

1946 general election: Hastings^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ted Cullen	7,292	51.72
	National	Eric Pryor	6,809	48.28
Majority			483	3.42
Turnout			14,101	94.61
Registered electors			14,904