# Bay of Islands (New Zealand electorate)

Bay of Islands is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed during various periods between 1853 and 1993. It was thus one of the original 24 electoral districts, and New Zealand's first ever MP was elected, although unopposed, in the Bay of Islands; Hugh Carleton thus liked to be called the Father of the House.

## Population centres

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European population had increased by 65%. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of European representatives to 91 (up from 84 since the 1875–76 election). The number of Māori electorates was held at four. The House further decided that electorates should not have more than one representative, which led to 35 new electorates being formed, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated, including Bay of Islands. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.
The electorate is centred on the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region, and includes the following population centres: Kerikeri.

## History

Hugh Carleton was elected to the seat in the first New Zealand Parliament in 1853. Although he was elected unopposed, he was the first MP elected and liked to be called Father of the House. He represented the seat until 1870, when he was defeated.
The Bay of Islands electorate existed from 1853 to 1870, then from 1881 to 1946 (when it was replaced by the Hobson electorate), then from 1978 to 1993, after which it became the Far North electorate. In 1996 it became the Northland electorate.
Members representing the electorate from 1881 to 1922 were Richard Hobbs 1881–1890 (retired), Robert Houston 1890–1908 (retired), Vernon Reed 1908–1915 (election declared void) and 1917–1922 (defeated), and William Stewart 1915–1917 (resigned). In 1929, Harold Rushworth, a Country Party member, had his 1928 election declared void, but he won the subsequent by-election.
The 1890 election was contested by Robert Houston, James Trounsen, John Lundon and Joseph Dargaville, and they received 465, 454, 385 and 352 votes, respectively. Houston, who represented the Liberal Party, was thus declared elected.$^{:1–3}$
The 1893 election was contested by Houston (1431 votes), Trownson (1200 votes) and Dargaville (399 votes). The incumbent was thus re-elected.
The 1896 election was contested by Houston (1592 votes) and John Press (965 votes). The incumbent was again re-elected. Houston remained the electorate's representative until he retired at the 1908 election.
Houston was succeeded by Vernon Reed, who represented the Liberal Party in the 1908 and 1911 elections. The opposition candidate in 1908 was John Charles Johnson, and by 1911 the Reform Party had established itself and George Wilkinson was their candidate.
Harold Rushworth of the Country Party represented the electorate from the 1928 election onwards. For the 1935 election, the United Party chose Robert Boyd Russell as their candidate. On 7 October 1935, Russell died in a rifle accident on his farm. The United Party selected Clive Cameron as their replacement candidate.

### Members of Parliament

Key
Independent Liberal Reform Country Party Labour National
| Election | Winner |
| 1853 election | Hugh Carleton |
| 1855 election | Hugh Carleton |
| 1861 election | Hugh Carleton |
| 1866 election | Hugh Carleton |
| (Electorate abolished 1870–1881, see Mongonui and Bay of Islands) |||
| 1881 election | Richard Hobbs |
| 1884 election | Richard Hobbs |
| 1887 election | Richard Hobbs |
| 1890 election | Robert Houston |
| 1893 election | Robert Houston |
| 1896 election | Robert Houston |
| 1899 election | Robert Houston |
| 1902 election | Robert Houston |
| 1905 election | Robert Houston |
| 1908 election | Vernon Reed |
| 1911 election | Vernon Reed |
| 1914 election | Vernon Reed |
| 1915 by-election | William Stewart |
| 1917 by-election | Vernon Reed |
| 1919 election | Vernon Reed |
| 1922 election | Allen Bell |
| 1925 election | Allen Bell |
| 1928 election | Harold Rushworth |
| 1929 by-election | Harold Rushworth |
| 1931 election | Harold Rushworth |
| 1935 election | Harold Rushworth |
| 1938 election | Charles Boswell |
| 1943 election | Sid Smith |
| (Electorate abolished 1946–1978, see Hobson) |||
| 1978 election | Neill Austin |
| 1981 election | Neill Austin |
| 1984 election | Neill Austin |
| 1987 election | John Carter |
| 1990 election | John Carter |
| (Electorate abolished 1993) |||

## Election results
### 1943 election

1943 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Sid Smith | 4,513 | 53.09 | |
| | Labour | Charles Boswell | 3,237 | 38.08 | −12.83 |
| | Democratic Labour | Charles Young | 672 | 7.90 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 78 | 0.91 | −1.83 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,276 | 15.01 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,500 | 91.64 | −1.90 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,275 | | |

### 1938 election

1938 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Boswell | 4,556 | 50.91 | |
| | National | Harold Fisher Guy | 4,393 | 49.09 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 252 | 2.74 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 163 | 1.82 | −19.17 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,201 | 93.54 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,836 | | |

### 1935 election

1935 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 6,004 | 59.41 | +2.49 |
| | United | Clive Cameron | 3,883 | 38.42 | |
| | Independent Labour | Robert Hornblow | 190 | 1.88 | |
| | Reform | J B Kennedy | 28 | 0.27 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,121 | 20.98 | +7.13 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,105 | | +13.49 |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 4,970 | 56.92 | +4.07 |
| | Reform | Allen Bell | 3,761 | 43.08 | −4.07 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 25 | 0.29 | −0.13 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,209 | 13.85 | +8.13 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,756 | 87.02 | −2.47 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,062 | | |

### 1929 by-election

1929 Bay of Islands by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 4,385 | 52.86 | +5.03 |
| | Reform | Allen Bell | 3,911 | 47.14 | −0.66 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 474 | 5.71 | +5.69 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 35 | 0.42 | −0.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,331 | 89.49 | +3.06 |
| | Country Party gain from Reform | Country Party gain from Reform | Swing | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,309 | | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 3,820 | 47.83 | |
| | Reform | Allen Bell | 3,818 | 47.80 | −8.44 |
| | Liberal–Labour | Robert Hornblow | 349 | 4.37 | +0.72 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2 | 0.03 | −37.20 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 59 | 0.73 | −0.26 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,046 | 86.43 | −3.58 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,309 | | |

### 1925 election

1925 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | Allen Bell | 4,211 | 56.24 | +4.90 |
| | Country Party | Hugh James Sweeney | 1,424 | 19.02 | |
| | Labour | Allan Edward Bisset | 1,268 | 16.94 | |
| | Liberal | Richard Theophilus Wrathall | 311 | 4.15 | |
| | Liberal | Robert Hornblow | 273 | 3.65 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 75 | 0.99 | −0.61 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,787 | 37.22 | +34.53 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,562 | 90.01 | +3.79 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 839 | | |
* ↑ Wrathall stood for the 'National Party', a splinter group of the Liberal Party

### 1922 election

1922 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Allen Bell | 3,585 | 51.35 | |
| | Reform | Vernon Reed | 3,397 | 48.65 | −13.45 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 114 | 1.61 | +0.48 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 188 | 2.69 | −21.51 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,096 | 86.22 | +7.52 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,230 | | |

### 1919 election

1919 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Reform | Vernon Reed | 3,066 | 62.10 |
| | Independent Liberal | St. Claire Jounneaux | 1,871 | 37.90 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 56 | 1.12 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,195 | 24.20 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,993 | 78.70 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,344 | |

### 1915 by-election

1915 Bay of Islands by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | William Stewart | 3,264 | 59.51 | |
| | Liberal | George Gardiner Menzies | 2,221 | 40.49 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,043 | 19.02 | +17.25 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 6 | 0.11 | −0.88 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,491 | 75.98 | −9.60 |
| | Reform gain from Liberal | Reform gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,227 | | |

### 1914 election

1914 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | Vernon Reed | 2,328 | 38.01 | −13.76 |
| | Liberal | Peter Buck | 2,220 | 36.25 | |
| | Reform | George Wilkinson | 1,576 | 25.73 | −22.49 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 108 | 1.76 | −1.78 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 61 | 0.99 | −0.11 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,185 | 85.58 | 5.61 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,227 | | |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ George Wilkinson had been the official Reform Party candidate in the 1911 election whilst Vernon Reed had stood for the Liberal Party, but in 1914, Reed became the official candidate of the Reform Party.

### 1911 election

1911 general election: Bay of Islands, first ballot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Vernon Reed | 2,671 | 51.77 | −1.37 |
| | Reform | George Wilkinson | 2,488 | 48.23 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 57 | 1.09 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 183 | 3.55 | −2.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,216 | 79.98 | +3.20 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,522 | | |

### 1908 election

1908 general election: Bay of Islands, first ballot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Vernon Reed | 2,242 | 53.14 |
| | Conservative | John Charles Johnson | 1,977 | 46.86 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 265 | 6.28 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,219 | 76.78 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,495 | |

### 1893 election

1893 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Houston | 1,431 | 47.23 | +19.16 |
| | Conservative | James Trounsen | 1,200 | 39.60 | +12.19 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Dargaville | 399 | 13.17 | −8.08 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 231 | 7.62 | +6.96 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,030 | 61.64 | +12.03 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,916 | | |

### 1890 election

1890 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Robert Houston | 465 | 28.07 |
| | Conservative | James Trounsen | 454 | 27.41 |
| | Liberal | John Lundon | 385 | 23.24 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Dargaville | 352 | 21.25 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 0.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,656 | 49.49 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,346 | |

### 1884 election

1884 general election: Bay of Islands :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Richard Hobbs | 355 | 56.08 |
| | Independent | Michael Gannon | 198 | 31.28 |
| | Independent | McKenzie | 80 | 12.64 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 157 | 24.80 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 633 | |