Epsom (New Zealand electorate)

Epsom electorate boundaries used since the 2014 election

Epsom is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. As of the 2014 general election, its member of parliament is David Seymour.

Epsom has been an important electorate in New Zealand politics as it has allowed the ACT Party to gain seats in parliament without meeting the five percent party vote threshold.

Population centres

Epsom is based around central and eastern Auckland City. It contains the suburbs of Parnell, Remuera, Mount Eden, Newmarket, half of Greenlane and the eponymous suburb of Epsom. Under boundary changes resulting from the 2006 census, Epsom was enlarged to include the central city suburb of Grafton, but most of the area was lost again following the 2013 census. It is New Zealand's smallest electorate, covering just 20 km2 (8 sq mi).[1]

Epsom was created ahead of the first Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) election in 1996, carved out of the Remuera and Eden seats. Remuera was a safe seat for the National Party, having never elected a Member of Parliament from the Labour Party, while Eden was a bellwether seat, changing hands with the change of government. Both of these seats were held by National MPs - Christine Fletcher in Eden and Doug (later Sir Douglas) Graham in Remuera.

The electorate's population is predominately New Zealand European with a significant Asian population. The median household income is $118,300 - the highest of all New Zealand electorates.[1]

History

The Epsom seat was first contested in New Zealand's first MMP election in 1996. The National party candidate was Christine Fletcher; she came out of the election with the nation's biggest personal majority: a 19,000 vote margin over the second placed Labour candidate, Helen Duncan.

With Fletcher standing down at the 1999 election to focus on her role as the newly elected Mayor of Auckland, the electorate battle was a contest between new National candidate Richard Worth and ACT List MP Rodney Hide. Worth won the seat by approximately 1,900 votes. In 2002, he easily retained Epsom, with other parties contesting only the party vote.

The 2005 race for Epsom was won by Rodney Hide[2] after a tough contest for the personal vote. As the leader of ACT, Hide was determined to contest Epsom in order to guarantee his part's representation in the next parliament, should ACT not break the five percent threshold - under New Zealand electoral law, a party can gain representation by either getting five percent of the vote or by winning one or more electoral seats.

As it became more likely ACT would not break five percent, the campaign in Epsom became more intense, with Hide lobbying voters to vote strategically to keep ACT in Parliament, a message that ultimately prevailed, with National MP Richard Worth, defeated by 3,102 votes on election night and returned to Parliament via the National Party list. Hide's win in Epsom also allowed ACT member Heather Roy to enter parliament.

Hide increased his majority in 2008, and winning Epsom allowed four other ACT MPs to enter parliament. But Hide stepped down as ACT leader in April 2011 after succumbing to a leadership challenge from Don Brash.[3] The ACT party selected former Auckland Mayor John Banks as their candidate for the 2011 election, who won the contest.[4]

In 2013, John Banks announced that he would leave Parliament at the 2014 election, and so would not contest the Epsom electorate. After being found guilty at trial for electoral fraud, he announced his resignation effective 13 June 2014, leaving the Epsom seat vacant.[5] Due to the proximity of the next general election, Parliament voted by supermajority to avoid a by-election.[6]

Members of Parliament

Key

  National     ACT     Labour     Green  

Election Winner
1996 election Christine Fletcher
1999 election Richard Worth
2002 election
2005 election Rodney Hide
2008 election
2011 election John Banks
2014 election David Seymour

List MPs

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

Election Winner
1998 Helen Duncan1
1999 election Rodney Hide
2002 election Rodney Hide
Keith Locke
2005 election Keith Locke
Richard Worth
2008 election Keith Locke
Richard Worth2
2011 election Paul Goldsmith
David Parker
2014 election Julie Anne Genter
Paul Goldsmith

1Replaced Jill White as list MP
2Resigned June 2009, list place taken by Cam Calder

Election results

2014 election

General election, 2014: Epsom[7]

Notes: Green 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.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
ACT David Seymour 15,966 43.08 −1.02 1,023 2.72 +0.17
National Paul Goldsmith 11,716 31.61 −6.19 23,904 63.45 −1.07
Labour Michael Wood 3,470 9.36 −1.09 5,045 13.39 −2.16
Green Julie Anne Genter 3,021 8.15 +2.14 4,706 12.49 +0.46
Conservative Christine Rankin 1,725 4.65 +3.70 932 2.47 +1.35
NZ First Cliff Lyon 621 1.68 +1.68 1,308 3.47 +0.86
Mana Patrick O'Dea 106 0.29 +0.11
Independent Grace Haden 59 0.16 +0.16
Independent Matthew Goode 37 0.10 −0.06
Independent Susanna Kruger 31 0.08 +0.08
Independent Adam Holland 21 0.06 +0.06
Internet Mana   312 0.83 +0.67[lower-alpha 1]
Māori   174 0.46 −0.13
Legalise Cannabis   76 0.20 −0.12
United Future   61 0.16 −0.16
Civilian   17 0.05 +0.05
Democrats   10 0.03 +0.01
Ban 1080   7 0.02 +0.02
Focus   4 0.01 +0.01
Independent Coalition   3 0.01 +0.01
Informal votes 286 93
Total Valid votes 37,059 37,675
Turnout 37,768 78.09 +2.36
ACT hold Majority 4,250 11.28 +4.98

2011 election

General election 2011: Epsom [4]

Notes: Green 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.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
ACT John Banks 15,835 44.10 -11.96 939 2.55 -3.67
National Paul Goldsmith 13,574 37.80 +15.96 23,725 64.52 +1.93
Labour David Parker 3,751 10.45 -3.13 5,716 15.55 -4.54
Green David Hay 2,160 6.01 -1.39 4,424 12.03 +5.10
Conservative Simon Kan 342 0.95 +0.95 412 1.12 +1.12
Independent Penny Bright 124 0.35 +0.35
Mana Patrick O'Dea 66 0.18 +0.18 91 0.16 +0.16
Independent Matthew Goode 59 0.16 +0.16
NZ First   959 2.61 +1.16
Māori   217 0.59 +0.01
Legalise Cannabis   118 0.32 +0.14
United Future   116 0.32 -0.35
Libertarianz   31 0.08 +0.03
Alliance   12 0.03 -0.001
Democrats   9 0.02 +0.01
Informal votes 443 160
Total Valid votes 35,911 36,769
ACT hold Majority 2,261 6.30 -27.92

Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 48,761[8]

2008 election

General election 2008: Epsom[9]

Notes: Green 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.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
ACT Green tickY Rodney Hide 21,102 56.06 +13.44 2,389 6.22 +2.83
National Richard Worth 8,220 21.84 -12.11 24,030 62.60 +4.09
Labour Kate Sutton 5,112 13.58 -3.57 7,711 20.09 -7.14
Green Keith Locke 2,787 7.40 +3.18 2,662 6.93 +1.60
United Future Janet Tuck 163 0.43 -0.52 258 0.67 -1.07
Kiwi Grace Haden 114 0.30 - 80 0.21 -
RAM Rafe Copeland 79 0.21 - 27 0.07 -
Human Rights Andrena Bishop 68 0.18 +0.09
NZ First   557 1.45 -0.98
Māori   222 0.58 +0.28
Progressive   133 0.35 -0.22
Bill and Ben   120 0.31 -
Legalise Cannabis   70 0.18 -0.11
Family Party   67 0.17 -
Libertarianz   19 0.05 -0.01
Alliance   13 0.03 +0.00
Workers Party   13 0.03 -
Pacific   10 0.03 -
Democrats   6 0.02 -0.00
RONZ   2 0.01 +0.00
Informal votes 259 96
Total Valid votes 37,645 38,389
ACT hold Majority 12,882 34.22 +25.55

2005 election

Beige denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink denotes a candidate elected to Parliament from their party list.[10]

Party Candidate Votes % Party Votes %
ACT Green tick Rodney Hide 15,251 42.62 1,237 3.40
National Red X Richard Worth 12,149 33.95 21,310 58.51
Labour Stuart Nash 6,138 17.15 9,915 27.22
Green Keith Locke 1,513 4.23 1,941 5.33
United Janet Tuck 340 0.95 636 1.75
Progressive Fatima Ashrafi 149 0.42 205 0.56
Destiny Rod Gabb 114 0.32 66 0.18
Direct Democracy Tin Yau Chan 97 0.27 28 0.08
IND Anthony Van Den Heuvel 34 0.10 - -
NZ First - - - 887 2.44
Māori Party - - - 107 0.29
Christian Heritage - - - 33 0.09
ALCP - - - 25 0.07
Libertarianz - - - 20 0.05
Alliance - - - 11 0.03
Democrats - - - 6 0.02
One NZ - - - 3 0.01
99 MP - - - 6 0.02
Family Rights PP - - - 3 0.01
Republic of NZ - - - 1 0.00
informal votes 245 94
total valid votes 35,785 36,421
ACT gain from National Majority 3,102

1996 election

General election 1996: Epsom[11][12][13]

Notes: Green 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.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
National Christine Fletcher 25,217 69.95 14,870 41.09
Labour Helen Duncan 4,575 12.69 6,935 19.16
Alliance Mary Tierney 1,787 4.96 1,611 4.45
NZ First Gavin Logan 1,342 3.72 2,067 5.71
ACT John Boscawen 1,134 3.15 7,976 22.04
Christian Coalition Ewen McQueen 577 1.60 1,116 3.08
Libertarianz Lindsay Perigo 534 1.48 58 0.16
Progressive Green Rob Fenwick 360 1.00 149 0.41
McGillicuddy Serious Kerry Hoole 247 0.69 91 0.25
Green Society Sam Cunningham 112 0.31 54 0.15
Natural Law Bryan Lee 89 0.25 53 0.15
United NZ Bryan Mockridge 78 0.22 451 1.25
Legalise Cannabis   427 1.18
Ethnic Minority Party 219 0.61
Animals First   53 0.15
Advance New Zealand 17 0.05
Superannuitants & Youth   15 0.04
Asia Pacific United 11 0.03
Mana Māori   11 0.03
Conservatives   8 0.02
Te Tawharau 0 0.00
Informal votes 232 92
Total Valid votes 36,052 36,192
National win new seat Majority 20,642 57.26

Table footnotes

  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.

References

  1. 1 2 "Epsom -- Electorate Profile". Parliamentary Library. September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Hon Rodney Hide". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Satherley, Dan (27 April 2011). "Rodney Hide resigns, makes way for Brash". 3 News.
  4. 1 2 "Official Count Results -- Epsom". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  5. ↑ Audrey Young (8 June 2014). "John Banks to resign from Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Parliament avoids calling by-election". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Electoral Commission (10 October 2014). "Official Count Results – Epsom". Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Enrolment statistics". Electoral Commission. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  9. ↑ 2008 election results Archived December 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ "Official Count Results -- Epsom". Wellington: Chief Electoral Office. 2005. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place - Epsom, 1996" (PDF). Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Part III - Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "Part III - Party Lists of unsuccessful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
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