Rangitīkei is the third largest general electorate by area in the North Island. It encircles, but does not include, Palmerston North. The electorate straddles State Highway 1 through Bulls, Marton, Taihape, and Waiouru as far as Mount Ruapehu Its largest centre is Feilding. Its western boundary, from south of Whanganui, extends northwards to include the communities of Ohakune, National Park, and Taumarunui. At the 2014 boundary review, the population of the RangitĪkei electorate was below tolerance and projected to decline further, so the Representation Commission shifted population around Shannon from Ōtaki into RangitĪkei.[2]
Between Census 2006 and Census 2013 the RangitĪkei electorate experienced a 0.4% decline in population in comparison to a 5.3% increase in New Zealand as a whole. One in ten (10.0%) stated their highest qualification as a Level 2 certificate, the fourth-largest share among general electorates. One in ten (10.4%) also listed their occupation as a community and personal service worker, the fifth-largest percentage. Six industries accounted for close to two-thirds (61.3%) of those working in 2013: agriculture, forestry, and fishing (16.8%); manufacturing (9.3%); education and training (9.0%); public administration (8.9%); health care and social assistance (8.9%); and retail trade (8.4%).[2]
History
A seat named Wanganui and Rangitikei was contested at the very first general election in New Zealand in 1853. The use of an electorate named Rangitikei in its own right dates from the third session of the New Zealand Parliament. In a somewhat auspicious start for the seat, the first Member of Parliament for the seat in 1861 was future Prime Minister William Fox. Fox resigned twice; first on 16 May 1865, causing the 1865 by-election (won by Robert Pharazyn), and then on 11 March 1875, causing the 1875 by-election (won by John Ballance).[3]
The current boundaries of the seat date from the introduction of mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting in 1996. The seat was created by adding the southern tip of King Country to the northern tip of the Manawatu seat, and drafting in the towns to the east of Whanganui from Waitotara. The rural conservative nature of the seat makes it a safe National seat, though for six years in the 1970s and 80s it was held by a third party MP, Social Credit leader Bruce Beetham.
Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Rangitīkei electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
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 Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.
^White resigned from Parliament on 24 November 1998.
^2017 Mana Party swing is relative to the votes for Internet-Mana in 2014; it shared a party list with the Internet Party in the 2014 election
^2017 Internet Party swing is relative to the votes for Internet-Mana in 2014; it shared a party list with Mana Party in the 2014 election
^2014 Internet Mana swing is relative to the votes for Mana in 2011; it shared a party list with Internet in the 2014 election.
Notes
^"Member for Rangitīkei, National Party". www.parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
^ a b"Rangitīkei electorate profile". Parliamentary Library. June 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2017. This article incorporates text by the Parliamentary Library available under the CC BY 3.0 license.
^Scholefield 1950, p. 107.
^"Rangitīkei - Official Result". electionresults. Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
^"Rangitīkei – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^"E9 Statistics – Rangitīkei – Official Results". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
^"Party Votes and Turnout by Electorate". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
^"Official Count Results -- Rangitīkei (2014)". Electoral Commission. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
^2011 election results
^"Enrolment statistics". Electoral Commission. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
^2008 election results
^election result Rangitikei 2005
^"Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place – Rangitikei, 1996" (PDF). Retrieved 20 July 2013.
^"Part III – Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
^"Part III – Party Lists of unsuccessful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
^Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993. pp. 93–4.
^Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. pp. 97–8.
^ a b c d e f gNorton 1988, p. 330.
^ a b c d e f g h iNorton 1988, p. 329.
^The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
^Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 4. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"The Rangitikei By-election". The Wanganui Herald. Vol. 44, no. 12882. 24 September 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
^"Final Returns". Taranaki Herald. Vol. 55, no. 14012. 17 September 1909. p. 3. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
^"The Electoral District of Rangitikei". Wanganui Herald. Vol. XXXIV, no. 12873. 13 September 1909. p. 1. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
^"The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
^"Rangitikei Election". Feilding Star. Vol. XXI, no. 141. 14 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
^"The Rangitikei election". Otago Witness. No. 2003. 14 July 1892. p. 15. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
^"The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
^"Rangitikei Election". Taranaki Herald. Vol. 28, no. 3425. 10 May 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
^"The Rangitikei Election". Vol. VIII, no. 2672. Wanganui Herald. 6 January 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
^McIvor 1989, p. 53.
References
McIvor, Timothy (1989). The Rainmaker: A biography of John Ballance journalist and politician 1839–1893. Auckland: Heinemann Reed. ISBN0-7900-0024-5.
Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN0-475-11200-8.
Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.