Venkat Raman
Auckland, April 17, 2020
Creation of new electorates, renaming a few others and redrawing of boundaries are among the changes announced by the Electoral Commission of New Zealand.
These changes will come into effect immediately, affecting the General Election this year and will be reviewed after the General Election in 2023.
Judge Craig Thompson, Chairman of the Representation Commission said that where possible, The Commission has maintained existing electorate boundaries and no changes have been made to 36 electorates.
Boundary adjustments
“The boundaries of 30 general and 5 Māori electorates have been adjusted to some degree. The number of electorates in the Auckland region has increased from 24 to 25. The new electorate is in South Auckland and its final name following public consultation is Takanini. In total, there are 72 electorates – 65 general electorates and seven Maori electorates,” he said.
The areas where there have been the most boundary changes are the Auckland region, Waikato, Christchurch, Otago, and Southland.
“There are name changes for 11 electorates. The names were either proposed by us or suggested in public submissions to better describe the redrawn electorate areas,” Judge Thompson said.
New Electorate in South Auckland
A new electorate has been created in South Auckland, called Takanini, comprising the population from Manurewa, former Hunua Electorate and Papakura, including those of Wattle Downs and Takanini. While Manurewa is a Labour favourite, Papakura as it existed prior to the change belongs to National Party.
Following public consultation, a small area around Mount Wellington (Maungarei) will become a part of Panmure-Otahuhu. Population from Waikato has been added to Hunua which has been renamed Port Waikato. Adjustments have been made to the boundaries of Waikato with Coromandel, Hamilton West, and Taupo.
There have also been adjustments to the boundaries of Whangarei and Bay of Plenty.
There are no boundary changes for 31 electorates including all the electorates in the southern half of the North Island and in Auckland- Auckland Central, Botany, East Coast Bays, Epsom, Kelston, Mangere, Mount Albert, North Shore, Northcote, Pakuranga, Tamaki and Te Atatu.
The boundaries of 30 General and 5 Maori electorates have been adjusted to some degree.
Change of Name
Eleven Electorates have been renamed to reflect their geographic areas.
They are as follows:
- Whangarei becomes Whangārei
- Helensville becomes Kaipara ki Mahurangi
- Rodney becomes Whangaporoa
- Manukau East becomes Panmure-Ōtāhuhu
- Flat Bush, the proposed name for the new electorate, becomes Takanini
- Hunua becomes Port Waikato
- Rimutaka becomes Remutaka
- Port Hills becomes Banks Peninsula
- Dunedin North becomes Dunedin
- Dunedin South becomes Taieri
- Clutha-Southland becomes Southland
South Island General electorates
The Electoral Commission has fixed the number of South Island electorates at 16.
Changes include the following:
- Brightwater is moved from Nelson to West Coast- Tasman
- A redraw of the fastest growing electorate, Selwyn, which loses the Banks Peninsula area to Banks Peninsula (formerly Port Hills). Adjustments are also made to Ilam, Wigram, Banks Peninsula, Christchurch East and Rangitata
- Waitaki loses the Alexandra and Clyde area to Southland (formerly Clutha-Southland)
- The Otago Peninsula is moved from Dunedin South to Dunedin North, and South Otago is added to Dunedin South from Clutha-Southland.
As a result of these boundary changes these electorates are renamed Taieri, Dunedin and Southland
It was proposed that Winton and The Catlins be added to the Invercargill electorate. Public submissions have resulted in both Winton and The Catlins staying in the renamed Southland electorate with Invercargill expanding into western Southland, including Tuatapere.
No changes have been made to Christchurch Central, Kaikōura and Waimakariri.
Maori Electorates
The number of Māori electorates remains at seven. Boundary changes have been made that affect 5 electorates: Tamaki Makaurau has gained an area around Te Atatu South from Te Tai Tokerau and an area to the east of Manurewa and Waiheke Island from Hauraki-Waikato. A minor adjustment between Ikaroa-Rawhiti and Te Tai Tonga has been made in Naenae.
No boundary changes have been made to Te Tai Hauauru and Waiariki.
North Island General electorates
The number of General electorates in the Auckland region has increased from 24 to 25.
Changes include Rodney is redrawn to include Dairy Flat and Coatesville, and renamed Whangaparaoa; Helensville is extended into Northland, Whangaparaoa, and Upper Harbour, and loses the Waitakere Ranges to New Lynn.
The redrawn Helensville electorate is renamed Kaipara ki Mahurangi following public consultation; To move population southwards to create the new electorate consequential changes have been made to Mount Roskill, Maungakiekie, Manukau East, and Manurewa; Following public consultation, the redrawn Manukau East electorate is renamed Panmure-Otahuhu.
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