2014 electorate boundaries Key changes to electorate boundaries in 2014

The 2014 review of electorate boundaries changed the boundaries of 46 electorates and added a new general electorate in Auckland. The changes moved about 380,000 people into different electorates.

The Representation Commission left 20 general electorates and five Māori electorates unchanged.

Electorate quotas

The number of people in each electorate couldn’t be more or less than 5 percent from the quotas below.

Type of electorate Quota 5% allowance
North Island general electorates 59,731 2,986
South Island general electorates 59,679 2,983
Māori electorates 60,141 3,007

The quotas were the average populations of North Island, South Island and Māori electorates at the time.

Find out how the Government Statistician works out population quotas

North Island general electorates

Key changes to the Auckland regions included:

  • creating Upper Harbour by taking population mainly from East Coast Bays and Helensville in the north and Te Atatū in the south
  • creating Kelston from the existing electorates of Waitakere, Te Atatū, Mt Albert and New Lynn
  • replacing the existing Waitakere electorate because of changes to the Te Atatū and Helensville electorates and the new Kelston electorate
  • Helensville losing population to East Coast Bays, Upper Harbour and Te Atatū and gaining population from Waitakere, New Lynn and Rodney
  • Auckland Central losing population to Mt Albert at Westmere and Grey Lynn and gaining population from Epsom
  • Mt Roskill losing population to New Lynn around New Windsor and gaining population from Maungakiekie at Royal Oak and Mt Albert at Sandringham.
  • Maungakiekie losing population to Mt Roskill and gaining population from Tāmaki and Manukau East
  • Hunua losing population to Botany and Waikato
  • changing the northern and southern boundaries of the Papakura electorate

Other key changes in the North Island included:

  • Hamilton West losing population to Taranaki-King Country and gaining population from Hamilton East and Waikato
  • changing the Bay of Plenty electorate to include Omanu and Poike areas
  • Rotorua gaining Te Puke and the surrounding western area from Bay of Plenty
  • East Coast gaining Kawerau and the coastal belt around Maketu from Rotorua and losing population in the south to Napier
  • Whanganui extending north of Stratford and losing the coastal area west of Mt Taranaki to New Plymouth
  • Ōhāriu gaining Wadestown from Wellington Central and losing population to Hutt South
  • adding a second macron to Ōhāriu to help with pronouncing the name correctly
  • Hutt South gaining all the Western Hills and losing Naenae to Rimutaka

The Representation Commission made no changes to the following 13 North Island electorates.

  • Northland
  • Whangarei
  • Northcote
  • North Shore
  • Manurewa
  • Māngere
  • Pakuranga
  • Taupō
  • Tukituki
  • Wairarapa
  • Palmerston North
  • Mana
  • Rongotai

South Island general electorates

The Representation Commission needed to change boundaries in Christchurch because of significant population movement from the Christchurch East, Christchurch Central and Port Hills electorates.

Key changes included:

  • Waimakariri losing population to Christchurch East and Christchurch Central
  • Christchurch East gaining population from Christchurch Central, Richmond, Avonside, North Linwood and Port Hills. This moved the Christchurch Central red zoned areas into Christchurch East
  • Christchurch Central losing population to Christchurch East and gaining population from Waimakariri and Port Hills
  • Port Hills gaining population from Wigram and Selwyn
  • Selwyn losing population to Port Hills and gaining population from Rangitata

The Commission made no changes to the following seven South Island electorates:

  • Nelson
  • Kaikōura
  • West-Coast Tasman
  • Dunedin South
  • Clutha-Southland
  • Invercargill
  • Ilam

Māori electorates

The Representation Commission moved an area, including the village of Tuai, from Ikaroa-Rāwhiti to Waiariki.

The Commission made no changes to the following five Māori electorates.

  • Te Tai Tokerau
  • Tāmaki Makaurau
  • Hauraki Waikato
  • Te Tai Hauāuru
  • Te Tai Tonga

The Commission didn’t change the names of any Māori electorates.

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