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Hamilton West is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It has been held by Tim Macindoe MP of the National Party since the 2008 general election.
Contents
Hamilton West is regarded as New Zealand's bellwether seat. In 15 of the 16 general elections since the electorate's creation, the party that has gone on to form the government has won Hamilton West. The sole exception was in 1993, when Labour won the electorate but National formed the government (albeit with a one-seat majority).
Population centres
Through an amendment in the Electoral Act in 1965, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, an increase of one since the 1962 electoral redistribution. It was accepted that through the more rapid population growth in the North Island, the number of its electorates would continue to increase, and to keep proportionality, three new electorates were allowed for in the 1967 electoral redistribution for the next election. In the North Island, five electorates were newly created (including Hamilton West) and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished (including Hamilton). In the South Island, three electorates were newly created and one electorate was reconstituted while three electorates were abolished. The overall effect of the required changes was highly disruptive to existing electorates, with all but three electorates having their boundaries altered. These changes came into effect with the 1969 election.
The former Hamilton electorate had existed since 1922 and had covered the urban area. When it was replaced by Hamilton West for the 1969 election, only part of the urban area was included but also rural land stretching all the way to the west coast. Most of the rural land had previously been part of the Waipa electorate. The town of Raglan was the north-western point of the electorate, and was surprisingly not located in the Raglan electorate. In the south-west, the electorate stretched as far as just north of the Kāwhia Harbour.
The 1972 electoral redistribution significantly reduced the size of the Hamilton West electorate, and all the rural land mostly transferred to the Raglan electorate. The additional electorate of Hamilton East was created at the same time. These changes came into effect with the 1972 election and since then, the electorate has been mainly urban, and has covered the western part of the city of Hamilton. The Waikato River divides the city in half and forms the boundary between the Hamilton East and Hamilton West electorates. Hamilton West also borders the rural electorates of Waikato to the north and west, and Taranaki-King Country to the south.
History
The first representative of Hamilton West was Leslie Munro of the National Party, who had since the 1969 election represented the Waipa electorate. When Hamilton West became an urban electorate in 1972, Munro retired and the electorate was won by Dorothy Jelicich of the Labour Party. Jelicich was defeated after one term in the 1975 election by National's Mike Minogue.
Members of Parliament
Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and started at general elections.
Key
National Labour NZ First
List MPs
Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Hamilton West electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 44,793