Helensville (New Zealand electorate) (original) (raw)

Former electorate in Auckland, New Zealand

Helensville
Former Single-member constituencyfor the New Zealand House of Representatives
Outline mapLocation of within Auckland
Region Auckland
Former constituency
Created 1978 (original), 2002 (recreated)
Abolished 1984 (abolished), 2020 (re-abolished)
Last MP Chris Penk
Party National

Helensville was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the Auckland region, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives. The electorate was first established for the 1978 election, was abolished in 1984, and then reinstated for the 2002 election. The seat was won and held by John Key through his term as prime minister. Chris Penk of the National Party held the seat from the 2017 general election until its abolition in 2020, when it was replaced with the new Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate, which Penk also retained.

The 1977 electoral redistribution, initiated by Robert Muldoon's National Government, was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established through an amendment to the Representation Act in 1886.[1] As part of the 1976 census, a large number of people failed to fill in an electoral re-registration card, and census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed. This had little practical effect for people on the general roll, but it transferred Māori to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, this resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the North Island.[2] The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, with 22 electorates being abolished, and 27 (including Helensville) being newly created or re-established. These changes came into effect for the 1978 election.[3]

In the 1983 electoral redistribution, the Helensville electorate was abolished, and its area went to the West Auckland and Rodney electorates.[4] Helensville was re-established in time for the 2002 election in response to continued high population growth in and around Auckland. It was formed from the northern flank of the Waitakere electorate with the addition of areas from the Rodney electorate around its southern boundary.

Helensville covers an area of the rapidly growing northern Auckland urban fringe, drawing Helensville and Kumeū from the former Rodney District, moving south to take in Paremoremo, Greenhithe and Albany from the former North Shore City, and finally tacking west to include Whenuapai, Hobsonville and West Harbour from the former Waitakere City.

The boundaries of the electorate changed significantly in the 2019/20 boundary review. Its northern boundary moved northward to become the same as the boundary between the Northland and Auckland local government regions, taking in part of the Northland electorate and all that part of Rodney electorate north of Waiwera, which is, by area, most of Rodney. On the other hand, an area running from Dairy Flat south to Paremoremo moved into Rodney, which is renamed the Whangaparāoa electorate. Helensville also gained the suburb of Westgate from the Upper Harbour electorate. It lost its southern section around the Waitakere Ranges to New Lynn. It was initially proposed that the electorate would keep the name Helensville, but after public submissions it became the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate.[5]

National Party electorate office at Huapai in 2009, during John Key's time

In the 1978 election, the Helensville electorate was won by Dail Jones, who had been MP for the Waitemata electorate since the 1975 election.[6] When the Helensville electorate was abolished in 1984, Jones stood in the West Auckland electorate in the 1984 election but was defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Jack Elder.[7]

The Helensville electorate was re-established for the 2002 election. Newcomer John Key beat sitting Waitakere MP Brian Neeson to the National Party nomination and, in a tight year for his party, won the electorate by 1,705 votes in a split field when a disgruntled Neeson stood as an independent. At the same election, Dail Jones contested the electorate for New Zealand First. Helensville was partly rural and was wealthy beyond the national average, making it a safe National electorate, and Key was returned easily in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014 with large majorities. Key became National Party leader in 2006 and prime minister in 2008. In December 2016, he announced that he would retire from politics before the 2017 general election.[8] He was replaced as Helensville MP by Chris Penk.

Members of Parliament

[edit]

Key

National NZ First Labour ACT Green

Election Winner
1978 election Dail Jones
1981 election
Electorate abolished in 1984 (see West Auckland and Rodney)
2002 election John Key
2005 election
2008 election
2011 election
2014 election
2017 election Chris Penk
(Electorate abolished in 2020; see Kaipara ki Mahurangi)

Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Helensville electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Election Winner
2002 election Dail Jones
2008 Dail Jones1
2008 election Darien Fenton
David Garrett2
2009 David Clendon3
2014 election Kennedy Graham

1 Jones entered Parliament in February 2008 following the resignation of Brian Donnelly
2 Garrett resigned in September 2010, and his list position was taken by Hilary Calvert
3 Clendon entered Parliament in October 2009 following the resignation of Sue Bradford

2017 general election: Helensville[9]
Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Chris Penk 21,704 56.12 −9.05 21,958 55.83
Labour Kurt Taogaga 7,096 18.35 +5.66 10,012 25.45
Green Hayley Holt 6,758 17.47 +4.75 2,971 7.55
NZ First Helen Peterson 2,403 6.21 — 2,795 7.11
ACT Alex Evans 284 0.73 -0.14 319 0.81
Conservative 87 0.22 −4.56
Opportunities 799 2.03 —
Legalise Cannabis 112 0.28 −0.17
Māori Party 105 0.27 −0.27
United Future 27 0.07 −0.19
Outdoors 20 0.05 —
Ban 1080 20 0.05 −0.09
Mana Party 13 0.03 —
People's Party 12 0.03 —
Internet 9 0.02 —
Democrats 7 0.02 −0.04
Informal votes 264 67
Total valid votes 38,676 39,333
National hold Majority 14,608 37.77 −14.69
2014 general election: Helensville[10]
Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Green tickY John Key 22,720 65.17 −9.21 20,689 58.39
Green Kennedy Graham 4,433 12.72 +5.36 4,801 13.55
Labour Corie Haddock 4,425 12.69 −1.45 4,430 12.50
Internet Laila Harré 1,315 3.77 +3.77
Conservative Deborah Dougherty 963 2.76 −0.07 1,692 4.78
Independent Penny Bright 420 1.20 +1.20
ACT Phelan Pirrie 302 0.87 +0.36 262 0.74
Independent Brendan Whyte 74 0.21 +0.21
NZ First 2,608 7.36 +2.76
Internet Mana 338 0.95 +0.78[a]
Māori Party 192 0.54 +0.02
Legalise Cannabis 161 0.45 −0.04
United Future 93 0.26 −0.20
Ban 1080 48 0.14 +0.14
Democrats 23 0.06 +0.04
Independent Coalition 13 0.04 +0.04
Civilian 8 0.02 +0.02
Focus 3 0.01 +0.01
Informal votes 208 73
Total valid votes 34,860 35,434
Turnout 35,507 82.29 +5.65
National hold Majority 18,287 52.46 −7.78
2011 general election: Helensville[11]
Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Green tickY John Key 26,011 74.38 +0.77 23,558 65.79
Labour Jeremy Greenbrook-Held 4,945 14.14 -2.97 5,138 14.35
Green Jeanette Elley 2,575 7.36 +1.41 3,094 8.64
Conservative Richard Drayson 941 2.69 +2.69 1,258 3.51
Legalise Cannabis Adrian McDermott 319 0.91 +0.91 174 0.49
ACT Nick Kearney 180 0.51 0–1.72 499 1.39
NZ First 1,648 4.60 +2.06
Māori Party 186 0.52 +0.03
United Future 163 0.46 -0.33
Mana 60 0.17 +0.17
Libertarianz 19 0.05 -0.004
Democrats 8 0.02 +0.001
Alliance 4 0.01 -0.04
Informal votes 574 198
Total valid votes 34,971 35,809
National hold Majority 21,066 60.24 +3.74

Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 46,983[12]

2008 general election: Helensville[13][14]
Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Green tickY John Key 26,771 73.61 +9.51 23,559 63.69
Labour Darien Fenton 6,224 17.11 -9.77 6,826 18.45
Green David Clendon 2,166 5.96 +5.79 1,814 4.90
ACT David Garrett 811 2.23 +1.10 2,481 6.71
United Future Angela Lovelock 309 0.85 -0.82 289 0.78
Libertarianz Peter Osborne 89 0.24 21 0.06
NZ First 940 2.54 -3.34
Progressive 195 0.53 -0.28
Family Party 182 0.49
Māori Party 182 0.49 +0.08
Bill and Ben 170 0.46
Legalise Cannabis 131 0.35 +0.16
Kiwi 105 0.28
Pacific 45 0.12
Alliance 19 0.05 +0.02
Workers Party 9 0.02
Democrats 8 0.02 ±0.00
RAM 8 0.02
RONZ 4 0.01 ±0.00
Informal votes 251 110
Total valid votes 36,370 36,988
Turnout 37,298 82.27 -0.58
National hold Majority 20,547 56.49
2005 general election: Helensville[14][15][16]
Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National Green tickY John Key 22,008 64.10 +29.92 19,224 55.09
Labour Judy Lawley 9,230 26.88 -0.24 9,761 27.97
NZ First Dail Jones 1,400 4.08 -5.45 2,051 5.88
United Future Andrea Deeth 573 1.67 -2.47 863 2.47
ACT Stephen Langford-Tebby 389 1.13 821 2.35
Māori Party Awa Hudson 359 1.05 142 0.41
Progressive Julian Aaron 318 0.93 -0.02 218 0.81
Direct Democracy Helen Koster 58 0.17 11 0.03
Green 1,407 4.03 -1.99
Destiny 151 0.43
Legalise Cannabis 66 0.19 -0.21
Christian Heritage 48 0.14 -0.85
Libertarianz 16 0.05
Alliance 9 0.03 -1.00
Democrats 8 0.02
Family Rights 8 0.02
99 MP 5 0.01
RONZ 5 0.01
One NZ 4 0.01 -0.04
Informal votes 253 110
Total valid votes 34,335 34,896
Turnout 35,222 82.85 +3.21
National hold Majority 12,778 37.22 +31.26
2002 general election: Helensville[15][17]
Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
National John Key 9,775 34.18 7,524 25.81
Labour Gary Russell 8,070 28.21 8,988 30.83
Independent Brian Neeson 5,644 19.73
NZ First Dail Jones 2,725 9.53 3,481 11.94
United Future Andrea Deeth 1,184 4.14 2,416 8.29
Alliance Helen MacKinlay 581 2.03 299 1.03
Christian Heritage David Simpkin 350 1.22 288 0.99
Progressive Clare Dickson 273 0.95 272 0.93
ACT 3,676 12.61
Green 1,755 6.02
ORNZ 313 1.07
Legalise Cannabis 118 0.40
One NZ 15 0.05
Mana Māori 10 0.03
NMP 2 0.01
Informal votes 327 78
Total valid votes 28,602 29,157
Turnout 29,428 79.64
National win new seat Majority 1,705 5.96

  1. ^ 2014 Internet Mana swing is relative to the votes for Mana in 2011; it shared a party list with Internet in the 2014 election.

  2. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 8–9, 51, 119.

  3. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 119.

  4. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 115–120.

  5. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 118–123.

  6. ^ "Report of the Representation Commission 2020" (PDF). 17 April 2020.

  7. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 208.

  8. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 194, 208.

  9. ^ "John Key resigns as Prime Minister of New Zealand, cites family reasons for leaving". The New Zealand Herald. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2017.

  10. ^ "Official Count Results – Helensville (2017)". Electoral Commission. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.

  11. ^ Electoral Commission (10 October 2014). "Official Count Results – Helensville". Retrieved 31 January 2016.

  12. ^ Helensville results, 2011

  13. ^ "Enrolment statistics". Electoral Commission. 4 November 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.

  14. ^ Election results 2008 Archived 11 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine

  15. ^ a b "Helensville:Electoral Profile". New Zealand Parliament. 26 August 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

  16. ^ a b "Electorate Profile Helensville" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. 1 November 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

  17. ^ Election result 2005[_permanent dead link_]

  18. ^ "Election results 2002". Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

  19. ^ a b Norton 1988, pp. 242.

36°40′47″S 174°26′58″E / 36.6797°S 174.4494°E / -36.6797; 174.4494