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Anelectorate orelectoral district (Māori:rohe pōti[1]) is ageographic constituency used for electing a member (MP) to theNew Zealand Parliament.[2] The size of electorates is determined such that all electorates have approximately the same electoral population.
Before 1996, all MPs were directly chosen for office by the voters of an electorate. Thereafter,New Zealand's electoral system provides that some (in practice, the majority) of the usually 120 seats in Parliament are filled by electorate representatives with the remainder being filled fromparty lists in order to achieveproportional representation among parties. The number of electorates changes periodically, in line with national population growth. Starting from the2020 general election, there are 72 electorates including theMāori electorates.
TheElectoral Act 1993 refers to electorates as "electoral districts".[2] Electorates are informally referred to as "seats" (Māori:tūru), but technically the termseat refers to an elected member's place in Parliament.[3][n 1]
The electoral boundaries for the inaugural1853 general election were drawn up by thegovernor,George Grey, with the authority for this coming from theNew Zealand Constitution Act 1852.[4] After the initial election, there were eight redivisions carried out by members of the general assembly (as the lower house was known at the time). These revisions were a mixture of minor and major boundary adjustments. In 1887, the responsibility for reshaping electorates was given to a Representation Commission and that arrangement has remained to this day. Up until 1981, the boundaries of the Māori electorates were determined by the governor or governor-general, when that responsibility was also transferred to the Representation Commission.[5]
Since the Representation Act 1900 and 1902 electoral redistribution, the number of electorates had been fixed at 80. Slower growth in the population of the South Island compared to the North Island meant the number of South Island electorates, once near-equal to the North, was decreasing and the geographic size of those electorates was growing. The 80-electorate cap was removed in 1969 and instead the number of South Island electorates fixed at 25. Thereafter, the number of electorates steadily increased, peaking with 99 members elected in 1993, of whom 74 were elected from North Island electorates.[6]
Elections for the House of Representatives in the 1850s modelled the electoral procedures used for theBritish House of Commons, which at that time featured bothsingle-member electorates (electorates returning just one MP) andmulti-member electorates (electorates returning more than one MP).[7] Each electorate was allocated a different number of MPs (up to three) in order to balance electoral population differences. All electorates used aplurality voting system, exceptbetween 1908 and 1913 when atwo-round voting system was employed.[8][9]
Electorate boundaries were not always drawn to provide for proportional representation between communities. From 1881, a specialcountry quota meant that rural seats could contain fewer people than urban seats, preserving improportionality by over-representing the rural electoral population (mostly made up by farmers). The country quota inflated the number of the electoral population outside of cities and certain towns by some percentage. The quota was at first 33% (1881–1887), then briefly 18% (1887–1889), and 28% for the remaining period (1889–1945).[10][5] For the1905 election, the multi-member electorates were abolished. The country quota persisted until 1945.[7] A system ofMāori electorates providing indigenous representation was established in 1867 but these were not drawn in proportion to their general electorate counterparts until the election of the45th New Zealand Parliament in1996.
| Election Year | Parliament | North Island electorates | Māori electorates | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 45th | 44 | 5 | 65 |
| 1999 | 46th | 45 | 6 | 67 |
| 2002 | 47th | 46 | 7 | 69 |
| 2005 | 48th | 46 | 7 | 69 |
| 2008 | 49th | 47 | 7 | 70 |
| 2011 | 50th | 47 | 7 | 70 |
| 2014 | 51st | 48 | 7 | 71 |
| 2017 | 52nd | 48 | 7 | 71 |
| 2020 | 53rd | 49 | 7 | 72 |
| 2023 | 54th | 49 | 7 | 72 |
| 2026 | 55th | 48 | 7 | 71 |
Since the introduction of themixed-member proportional system at the 1996 election, there have been at least 120 MPs and the number of South Island electorates has been fixed at 16. Like under the previous system, the number of North Island electorates is calculated in proportion to the South Island and that number has risen from 44 to a peak of 49 in 2020 and 2023.[11][12][13] The new electoral system also provides for the number of Māori electorates to be calculated proportionally, and these have sat at 7 since 2002. In October 2024,Statistics New Zealand announced that population changes necessitated reducing the number of North Island general electorates by one, returning the number of North Island general electorates to 48.[14]
Because the number of MPs is fixed at a minimum of 120, adding additional electorates means there are fewer seats available forlist MPs.[15] List MP seats are assigned proportionally to parties that win at least one electorate or receive at least 5% of theparty vote. However, additional list MPs may be elected ifoverhang seats are required due to a party winning more electorates than its party vote share entitles it; the total number of members may therefore be more than 120.[16] In2005 and2011, 121 members were elected; 122 members were elected in2008; 123 members were elected in2023.[17][18]
The Representation Commission has determined general electorate boundaries since 1881.[5][19] These days, the Commission consists of:
The Representation Commission reviews electorate boundaries after eachNew Zealand census, which normally occurs every five years.[2] The Electoral Act 1993 stipulates that theSouth Island is to have 16 general electorates, and dividing the number of persons in the South Island's general electoral population by 16 determines theSouth Island Quota.[n 2] This quota is then used to calculate the number ofMāori electorates[n 3] and to determine the number ofNorth Island electorates.[n 4]
The number of Māori electorates is calculated by dividing theMāori electoral population (MEP) of New Zealand by the South Island Quota. Māori voters may choose to either be represented in a Māori electorate or a general electorate, so the MEP is influenced by the number of Māori who opt for Māori electorate representation. Māori voters who choose to be represented in a general electorate are included in theGeneral electoral population (GEP) of either the South Island or North Island. The number of North Island electorates is calculated by applying the South Island Quota to the North Island GEP.[20] In this way, all three types of electorates will represent similar populations. Electorates may vary by no more than 5% of the average electoral population size.[2]
In drawing new electorate boundaries, the Representation Commission must give due consideration to existing boundaries, communities of interest, facilities of communications, topographical features, and projected variation in population. Regard is often had forlocal authority boundaries. The Commission may abolish electorates and create new ones in their place. Except for Māori electorates, electorates must be wholly situated on either the North Island or South Island. Populations on other islands, such asStewart Island / Rakiura and theChatham Islands, are included by convention in electorates that provide access to the mainland, latterlyInvercargill andRongotai, respectively.
The Representation Commission determines the names of each electorate following the most recent census.[19] An electorate may be named after a geographic region, landmark (e.g. a mountain) ormain population area. The Commission adoptscompass point names when there is not a more suitable name. The compass point reference usually follows the name of the main population centre, e.g.Hamilton East.
Two types of special electorates have been used.
Goldminers' electorates were created for participants in theOtago gold rush. Goldminers did not usually meet the residency and property requirements in the electorate they were prospecting in, but were numerous enough to warrant political representation. Three goldminers' electorates existed, the first began in 1863 and both ended in 1870.
Much more durable have been theMāori electorates, created in 1867 to give separate representation toMāori. Although originally intended to be temporary, they came to function asreserved positions for Māori until 1967, ensuring that there would always be a Māori voice in Parliament. In 1967 the reserved status of the Māori seats was removed, allowing non-Māori to stand in the Māori electorates. Until 1993 the number of Māori electorates was fixed at four, significantly under-representing Māori in Parliament. In 1975 the definition of who could opt to register on either the general or the Māoriroll was expanded to include all persons of Māori descent.[21] Previously all persons of more than 50% Māori ancestry were on the Māori roll while persons of less than 50% Māori ancestry were required to enrol on the then European roll. Only persons presumed to have equal Māori and European ancestry (so-called half-castes) had a choice of roll.[22]
Since the introduction ofMMP in 1996, the number of seats can change with the number of Māori voters who choose to go on the Māori roll rather than the general roll. In 1996, there were five Māori electorates. For the 1999 election, this increased to six electorates. Since the 2002 election, the number of Māori electorates has stayed constant at seven.[23]
This table shows the electorates as they were represented during the54th New Zealand Parliament.
| Electorate | Region | Namesake/translation | MP | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Te Tai Tokerau | Northland and Auckland | "northern district" | Mariameno Kapa-Kingi | Māori | |
| Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland | "Tāmaki desired by many" (the Māori name forAuckland) | Oriini Kaipara | Māori | |
| Hauraki-Waikato | Auckland and Waikato | Hauraki Gulf andWaikato River | Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke | Māori | |
| Waiariki | Bay of Plenty and Waikato | "chiefly waters" | Rawiri Waititi | Māori | |
| Ikaroa-Rāwhiti | Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington | long (roa) eastern (rāwhiti) electorate of theNorth Island / Te Ika-a-Māui | Cushla Tangaere-Manuel | Labour | |
| Te Tai Hauāuru | Taranaki, Waikato, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington | "western district" | Debbie Ngarewa-Packer | Māori | |
| Te Tai Tonga | The South Island, Wellington and theChatham Islands | "southern district" | Tākuta Ferris | Māori | |
Both the single-member and the multi-member districts were instances of plurality voting systems, because candidates did not need a majority of the votes (more than half) to be elected. They required only a plurality – more votes than any of the other candidates – to win.
In the 2020 general election, there will be seven Māori electorates and 65 general electorates—including one new electorate in Auckland.
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