Waitomo was a parliamentary electorate in the Waikato region and the King Country of New Zealand, from 1919 to 1972. The electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament.
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Population centres
In the 1918 electoral redistribution, the North Island gained a further three electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. Only two existing electorates were unaltered, five electorates were abolished, two former electorate were re-established, and three electorates, including Waitomo, were created for the first time. The Taumarunui electorate was abolished through the 1918 electoral redistribution, and the vast majority of the Waitomo electorate's area had previously been in the Taumarunui electorate. Settlements that fell within the initial area of the Waitomo electorate were Otorohanga, Te Kuiti, Ohura, Awakino, Mokau, and Waitara.
History
The Waitomo electorate was first established for the 1919 election. The first representative was William Thomas Jennings of the Liberal Party. John Rolleston of the Reform Party defeated the incumbent by 3447 to 3441 votes, a majority of only six votes. Rolleston in turn was defeated in 1928 by Walter Broadfoot of the United Party. Broadfoot joined the National Party in 1936 when it formed through the amalgamation of the United and Reform Parties. He remained the electorate's representative until the 1954 election, when he retired.
Broadfoot was succeeded by David Seath of the National Party, who represented the electorate until the 1972 election, when he retired. In the same year, the Waitomo electorate was abolished.
Members of Parliament
The Waitomo electorate was represented by four Members of Parliament:
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