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Taranaki-King Country is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives of New Zealand. The current MP for Taranaki-King Country is Barbara Kuriger of the National Party. She has held this position since the 2014 General Election.
Contents
Population centres
Taranaki-King Country stretches down the western coast of the North Island, starting at the outskirts of Hamilton, through to the King Country towns of Te Awamutu, Otorohanga and Te Kuiti, and ending in the northern Taranaki region, to take in the northern section of the New Plymouth urban area and all of Stratford District. From 2008, it has included the town of Raglan.
The boundaries have gradually been expanded as the population has fallen, relative to the overall population of the country. At the 2013 revision the proposed boundaries received the third highest number (25) of objections in the country. After the 2013 revision the constituency covered parts of 3 regional councils and 7 district councils (Waikato District, Waipa District, Otorohanga District, Waitomo District, New Plymouth District, Stratford District, Ruapehu District), including Hamilton Airport.
History
The seat was created ahead of the introduction of mixed-member proportional voting in 1996 from most of the old King Country seat with parts of Taranaki, Waitotara in the south and Waipa in the area around Hamilton. All these seats were safe National seats covering rural areas traditionally loyal to the National Party, the new seat remained faithful to old allegiances in the face of a large swing to New Zealand First in the central North Island at the 1996 election. The first MP for Taranaki-King Country was the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jim Bolger.
Having been ousted from the leadership of his party, Bolger accepted the role of Ambassador to the United States in the middle of 1998, and triggered the 1998 by-election. Despite a large swing to ACT Party candidate Owen Jennings, Bolger's chosen successor Shane Ardern won a narrow victory on a heavily reduced turnout. Since the 1998 byelection, Taranaki-King Country has reverted to form, giving Ardern two out of every three votes cast in 2005, 2008 and 2011.
Members of Parliament
Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
Key
National Alliance Labour
List MPs
Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Taranaki-King Country electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
2011 election
Electorate (as at 11 November 2011): 41,152