Te Aro (New Zealand electorate)

Te Aro was a parliamentary electorate in Wellington, New Zealand, from 1881 to 1890. It covered the southern area of the central business district. During the three parliamentary terms of its existence, the electorate was represented by three Members of Parliament.

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 1875–76 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 Te Aro, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.^[1]

The electorate was based on the inner suburb of Te Aro, which is located in the southern end of the central business district.^[2] In the 1887 electoral redistribution, the Te Aro electorate lost much of its southern area to the newly formed Wellington East electorate.^[3] In the 1890 electoral redistribution, the Te Aro electorate was abolished, and the area became part of the three-member City of Wellington electorate.^[4]

History

The Te Aro electorate was represented by three Members of Parliament:^[5]

• Charles Johnston from 1881 to 1887 (resigned)
• Francis Humphris Fraser in 1887 (defeated)
• Andrew Agnew Stuart Menteath from 1887 to 1890 (retired)

Members of Parliament

Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at a general election.

Key

  Independent

Election	Winner
1881 election		Charles Johnston
1884 election
1887 by-election		Francis Fraser
1887 election		Andrew Menteath
(Electorate abolished in 1890; see City of Wellington)

Election results

1887 election

1887 New Zealand general election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Andrew Menteath	877	54.98
	Independent	Francis Fraser	718	45.02
Majority			159	9.97
Turnout			1,595

1887 by-election

1887 Te Aro by-election^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Francis Fraser	506	58.77
	Independent	William Travers	346	40.19
	Independent	J Nancarrow	9	1.05
Majority			160	18.58
Turnout			861

1884 election

1884 New Zealand general election^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Charles Johnston	346	37.94
	Independent	Francis Fraser	332	36.40
	Independent	E Shaw	129	14.14
	Independent	J H Shaw	71	7.79
	Independent	O'Shea	34	3.73
Majority			14	1.54	−3.65
Turnout			912

1881 election

1881 New Zealand general election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Charles Johnston	397	37.45
	Independent	Shaw	342	32.26
	Independent	Stafford	321	30.28
Majority			55	5.19
Turnout			1,060

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
2. McRobie 1989, p. 46.
3. McRobie 1989, pp. 46, 50.
4. McRobie 1989, pp. 50–55.
5. Wilson 1985, p. 272.
6. 1887 election results
7. Te Aro by-election results
8. 1884 election results
9. 1881 election results

References

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.