# Dunedin South

Dunedin South is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It first existed from 1881 to 1890, and subsequently from 1905 to 1946. In 1996, the electorate was re-established for the introduction of MMP, before being abolished in 2020.

## 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, including Dunedin South, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.
As the name suggests, the electorate was based on the southern suburbs of Dunedin. It stretched out westwards to take in towns on the Taieri Plains such as Mosgiel, Green Island and Fairfield. The Otago Peninsula was also in the electorate.
The most recent Dunedin South electorate was created in 1996 as one of the original 65 MMP electorates, as a merger between St Kilda and a large part of Dunedin West. Until the 2008 election, it was enlarged at every electoral boundary review, but in the 2013 review, its boundaries were kept. Middlemarch was first included in the electorate for the 2008 election; other localities include:
* Southern Dunedin (48,000)
* Mosgiel (13,000)
* Outram (642)
The electorate was abolished at the 2019/20 electoral redistribution, with the majority of the electorate being included in a recreated Taieri, although the Otago Peninsula was incorporated into the Dunedin electorate.

## History

The electorate was first established for the 1881 election and abolished after three parliamentary terms in 1890, when several Dunedin electorates were amalgamated to form the City of Dunedin electorate. During the nine years of its first existence, the electorate was represented by two MPs, Henry Fish (1881–1884 and 1887–1890) and James Gore (1884–1887).
Dunedin South was re-established after the abolition of the City of Dunedin electorate for the 1905 election. The first representative was James Arnold, who was an independent liberal and who served until the end of the parliamentary term in 1908, when he successfully contested Dunedin Central.
Thomas Sidey of the Liberal Party who had since a Caversham by election represented Caversham won the 1908 election for Dunedin South. He represented the electorate for six parliamentary terms until 1928. In 1919, Tom Paul nearly won the seat for Labour, losing by only 84 votes.
Sidey was succeeded by William Taverner of the United Party in the 1928 election. At the next election in 1931, the electorate was won by Fred Jones of the Labour Party. Jones held the electorate until 1946, when it was abolished, and successfully stood in St Kilda that year.
The electorate was re-established for the 1996 election and won by Michael Cullen, who later became Finance minister. Cullen had previously represented St Kilda (1981–1996). At the next election in 1999, Cullen stood as a list candidate only and was succeeded by David Benson-Pope as the electorate MP. After three parliamentary terms, Benson-Pope was not selected by the Labour Party as their candidate, but Clare Curran was chosen instead. Curran has represented the electorate since the 2008 election.
The city of Dunedin is a New Zealand Labour Party stronghold; The last National MP elected from a Dunedin constituency was Richard Walls in 1975. However, in 2011, National Party candidate, Jo Hayes, reduced the incumbent, Clare Curran's majority from 6449 in 2008 to 4175, and National gained a plurality of the party vote in Dunedin South by 1837 votes. The winning of the party vote was unprecedented in Dunedin South, which was seen, pre 2011, as a Labour Party stronghold. However the predecessor seat of St Kilda was represented by Jim Barnes of the National Party between 1951 and 1957. In the 2014 election, Curran was successful against National's Hamish Walker.
In mid April 2020, it was announced that Dunedin South would be reconstituted as the Taieri electorate. The Otago peninsula was transferred to the Dunedin electorate while the new Taieri electorate would include South Dunedin and South Otago, with the latter being transferred from the former Clutha-Southland electorate.

### Members of Parliament

Key  Independent  Liberal–Labour  Liberal  United  Labour  National
| Election | Winner |
| 1881 election | Henry Fish |
| 1884 election | James Gore |
| 1887 election | Henry Smith Fish |
| (Electorate abolished 1890–1905; see City of Dunedin) |||
| 1905 election | James Arnold |
| 1908 election | Thomas Sidey |
| 1911 election | Thomas Sidey |
| 1914 election | Thomas Sidey |
| 1919 election | Thomas Sidey |
| 1922 election | Thomas Sidey |
| 1925 election | Thomas Sidey |
| 1928 election | William Taverner |
| 1931 election | Fred Jones |
| 1935 election | Fred Jones |
| 1938 election | Fred Jones |
| 1943 election | Fred Jones |
| (Electorate abolished 1946–1996; see Central Otago, Mornington, and St Kilda) |||
| 1996 election | Michael Cullen |
| 1999 election | David Benson-Pope |
| 2002 election | David Benson-Pope |
| 2005 election | David Benson-Pope |
| 2008 election | Clare Curran |
| 2011 election | Clare Curran |
| 2014 election | Clare Curran |
| 2017 election | Clare Curran |
| (Electorate abolished in 2020; see Taieri) |||

### List MPs

Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Dunedin South electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs' terms began and ended at general elections.
| Election | Winner | Winner |
| 2014 | | Jo Hayes$^1$ |
$^1$Hayes was elected from the party list in January 2014 following the resignation of Katrina Shanks.

## Election results
### 2017 election

2017 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Y Clare Curran | Y Clare Curran | 21,404 | 54.11 | +5.55 | 19,183 | 48.13 | +15.00 |
| | National | Matt Gregory | Matt Gregory | 12,687 | 32.08 | −6.18 | 14,164 | 35.53 | −4.17 |
| | Green | Shane Gallagher | Shane Gallagher | 2,002 | 5.06 | −2.45 | 2,362 | 5.92 | −6.32 |
| | NZ First | Kerry Maria Rushton | Kerry Maria Rushton | 1,591 | 4.02 | — | 2,625 | 6.58 | −2.49 |
| | Opportunities | Lindsay Smith | Lindsay Smith | 1,067 | 2.70 | — | 967 | 2.42 | — |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Adrian McDermott | Adrian McDermott | 332 | 1.59 | — | 90 | 0.23 | −0.22 |
| | ACT | Daniel Doughty | Daniel Doughty | 128 | 0.32 | — | 116 | 0.29 | −0.04 |
| | Māori Party | | | | | | 83 | 0.21 | −0.04 |
| | Conservative | | | | | | 54 | 0.14 | −2.78 |
| | Ban 1080 | | | | | | 39 | 0.10 | −0.10 |
| | United Future | | | | | | 26 | 0.07 | −0.10 |
| | Outdoors | | | | | | 20 | 0.05 | — |
| | People's Party | | | | | | 20 | 0.05 | — |
| | Mana Party | | | | | | 6 | 0.02 | — |
| | Internet | | | | | | 5 | 0.01 | — |
| | Democrats | | | | | | 4 | 0.01 | −0.20 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 343 | | | 103 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 39,554 | | | 39,867 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 8,717 | 22.03 | +11.73 | | | |

### 2014 election

2014 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Y Clare Curran | Y Clare Curran | 18,182 | 48.56 | −0.33 | 12,518 | 33.13 | −1.84 |
| | National | Hamish Walker | Hamish Walker | 14,324 | 38.26 | +1.49 | 15,003 | 39.70 | −0.48 |
| | Green | Shane Gallagher | Shane Gallagher | 2,813 | 7.51 | −1.77 | 4,626 | 12.24 | −1.37 |
| | Conservative | Cindy Kerr | Cindy Kerr | 727 | 1.94 | +1.94 | 1,104 | 2.92 | +1.44 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Julian Crawford | Julian Crawford | 453 | 1.21 | +1.21 | 171 | 0.45 | ±0.00 |
| | Democrats | Warren Voight | Warren Voight | 234 | 0.62 | −0.07 | 80 | 0.21 | −0.15 |
| | Internet | Andrew Lepine | Andrew Lepine | 177 | 0.47 | +0.47 | | | |
| | ACT | Colin Nicholls | Colin Nicholls | 143 | 0.38 | −0.24 | 125 | 0.33 | −0.27 |
| | NZ First | | | | | | 3,429 | 9.07 | +1.92 |
| | Internet Mana | | | | | | 307 | 0.81 | +0.63 |
| | Māori Party | | | | | | 95 | 0.25 | −0.05 |
| | Ban 1080 | | | | | | 77 | 0.20 | +0.20 |
| | United Future | | | | | | 63 | 0.17 | −0.36 |
| | Civilian | | | | | | 18 | 0.05 | +0.05 |
| | Focus | | | | | | 7 | 0.02 | +0.02 |
| | Independent Coalition | | | | | | 5 | 0.01 | +0.01 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 389 | | | 161 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 37,442 | | | 37,789 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,831 | 81.60 | +4.60 | | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 3,858 | 10.30 | −1.82 | | | |

### 2011 election

2011 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Y Clare Curran | Y Clare Curran | 16,844 | 48.89 | -3.40 | 12,326 | 34.97 | -11.76 |
| | National | Jo Hayes | Jo Hayes | 12,669 | 36.77 | +2.05 | 14,163 | 40.18 | +5.97 |
| | Green | Shane Gallagher | Shane Gallagher | 3,197 | 9.28 | +2.44 | 4,798 | 13.61 | +5.64 |
| | NZ First | Randall Ratana | Randall Ratana | 979 | 2.84 | +2.84 | 2,522 | 7.15 | +2.59 |
| | Democrats | Warren Voight | Warren Voight | 238 | 0.69 | +0.22 | 126 | 0.36 | +0.18 |
| | ACT | Kimberly Hannah | Kimberly Hannah | 215 | 0.62 | -0.81 | 210 | 0.60 | -1.51 |
| | Restore All Things in Christ | Robert Wansink | Robert Wansink | 167 | 0.48 | +0.18 | | | |
| | Alliance | Kay Murray | Kay Murray | 142 | 0.41 | -0.13 | 58 | 0.16 | -0.03 |
| | Conservative | | | | | | 520 | 1.48 | +1.48 |
| | United Future | | | | | | 186 | 0.53 | -0.21 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | | | | | | 157 | 0.45 | +0.06 |
| | Māori Party | | | | | | 107 | 0.30 | -0.13 |
| | Mana | | | | | | 62 | 0.18 | +0.18 |
| | Libertarianz | | | | | | 16 | 0.05 | +0.01 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 830 | | | 318 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 34,451 | | | 35,569 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 4,175 | 12.12 | -5.45 | | | |
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 45,818

### 2008 election

2008 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clare Curran | Clare Curran | 19,199 | 52.29 | -4.71 | 17,408 | 46.73 | -10.40 |
| | National | Conway Powell | Conway Powell | 12,750 | 34.73 | +8.00 | 12,742 | 34.20 | +6.99 |
| | Green | Shane Gallagher | Shane Gallagher | 2,511 | 6.84 | +0.58 | 2,971 | 7.98 | +2.57 |
| | ACT | Colin Nicholls | Colin Nicholls | 528 | 1.44 | +0.79 | 785 | 2.11 | +1.36 |
| | Progressive | J M McAlpine | J M McAlpine | 498 | 1.36 | -0.56 | 461 | 1.24 | -0.17 |
| | United Future | Pauline Moffat | Pauline Moffat | 264 | 0.72 | -1.78 | 276 | 0.74 | -1.73 |
| | Kiwi | Philip Wescombe | Philip Wescombe | 261 | 0.71 | – | 144 | 0.39 | – |
| | Independent | David Bernhardt | David Bernhardt | 222 | 0.60 | – | | | |
| | Alliance | Kay Murray | Kay Murray | 199 | 0.54 | +0.00 | 72 | 0.19 | +0.05 |
| | Democrats | Dawn McIntosh | Dawn McIntosh | 172 | 0.47 | – | 66 | 0.18 | +0.09 |
| | Restore All Things in Christ | Robert Wansink | Robert Wansink | 113 | 0.31 | +0.05 | | | |
| | NZ First | | | | | | 1,700 | 4.56 | +0.18 |
| | Bill and Ben | | | | | | 209 | 0.56 | – |
| | Māori Party | | | | | | 160 | 0.43 | 0.21 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | | | | | | 144 | 0.39 | +0.13 |
| | Family Party | | | | | | 58 | 0.16 | – |
| | Pacific | | | | | | 17 | 0.05 | – |
| | Libertarianz | | | | | | 15 | 0.04 | +0.02 |
| | Workers Party | | | | | | 14 | 0.04 | – |
| | RONZ | | | | | | 7 | 0.02 | +0.01 |
| | RAM | | | | | | 3 | 0.01 | – |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 484 | | | 183 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 36,717 | | | 37,252 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 6,449 | 17.56 | -12.71 | | | |

### 2005 election

2005 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Y David Benson-Pope | Y David Benson-Pope | 20,033 | 57.00 | | 20,348 | 57.13 | |
| | National | Conway Powell | Conway Powell | 9,393 | 26.73 | | 9,692 | 27.21 | |
| | Green | Peter Thomlinson | Peter Thomlinson | 2,200 | 6.26 | | 1,926 | 5.41 | |
| | NZ First | Alan Heward | Alan Heward | 1,145 | 3.26 | | 1,563 | 4.39 | |
| | United Future | Pauline Moffat | Pauline Moffat | 795 | 2.26 | | 879 | 2.47 | |
| | Progressive | Martin Vaughan | Martin Vaughan | 672 | 1.91 | | 500 | 1.40 | |
| | Destiny | Brent Daglish | Brent Daglish | 400 | 1.14 | | 128 | 0.36 | |
| | ACT | Alan Wilden | Alan Wilden | 228 | 0.65 | | 266 | 0.75 | |
| | Alliance | Chris Ford | Chris Ford | 189 | 0.54 | | 52 | 0.15 | |
| | Restore All Things in Christ | Robert Wansink | Robert Wansink | 91 | 0.26 | | | | |
| | Legalise Cannabis | | | | | | 90 | 0.25 | |
| | Māori Party | | | | | | 77 | 0.22 | |
| | Christian Heritage | | | | | | 35 | 0.10 | |
| | Democrats | | | | | | 30 | 0.08 | |
| | Direct Democracy | | | | | | 8 | 0.12 | |
| | Libertarianz | | | | | | 8 | 0.02 | |
| | One NZ | | | | | | 6 | 0.02 | |
| | 99 MP | | | | | | 4 | 0.01 | |
| | Family Rights | | | | | | 4 | 0.01 | |
| | RONZ | | | | | | 3 | 0.01 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 398 | | | 127 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 35,146 | | | 35,619 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 10,640 | 30.30 | | | | |

### 2002 election

2002 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Y David Benson-Pope | Y David Benson-Pope | 20,398 | 63.31 | +12.41 | 18,311 | 55.89 | +5.37 |
| | National | Paul Foster-Bell | Paul Foster-Bell | 5,674 | 17.61 | | 5,004 | 15.27 | -7.50 |
| | Green | Fliss Butcher | Fliss Butcher | 2,023 | 6.28 | | 2,036 | 6.21 | +2.19 |
| | United Future | Jesse O'Brien | Jesse O'Brien | 1,338 | 4.15 | | 1,923 | 5.87 | |
| | ACT | Matthew Cain Dwyer | Matthew Cain Dwyer | 859 | 2.67 | | 1,144 | 3.49 | +0.06 |
| | Progressive | Russell Edwards | Russell Edwards | 750 | 2.33 | | 765 | 2.23 | |
| | Alliance | Justin Wilson | Justin Wilson | 601 | 1.87 | | 564 | 1.72 | -9.98 |
| | Christian Heritage | Graham Bruce Aldridge | Graham Bruce Aldridge | 576 | 1.79 | | 356 | 1.09 | -0.87 |
| | NZ First | | | | | | 2,016 | 6.15 | +4.03 |
| | ORNZ | | | | | | 415 | 1.27 | |
| | Legalise Cannabis | | | | | | 213 | 0.65 | -0.34 |
| | One NZ | | | | | | 9 | 0.03 | |
| | Mana Māori | | | | | | 8 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| | NMP | | | | | | 1 | 0.00 | -0.02 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 521 | | | 97 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,219 | | | 32,765 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 14,724 | 45.70 | +15.81 | | | |

### 1999 election

1999 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Benson-Pope | David Benson-Pope | 18,065 | 50.90 | | 18,099 | 50.52 | +10.28 |
| | National | Russel Keast | Russel Keast | 7,457 | 21.01 | | 8,158 | 22.77 | -3.32 |
| | Alliance | Mark Ryan | Mark Ryan | 4,825 | | | 4,192 | 11.70 | -2.36 |
| | Green | Sonata McLeod | Sonata McLeod | 1,424 | 4.01 | | 1,440 | 4.02 | |
| | NZ First | Jenny Bloxham | Jenny Bloxham | 999 | 2.82 | | 758 | 2.12 | -6.15 |
| | South Island | Margaret McCarrigan | Margaret McCarrigan | 912 | 2.57 | | 413 | 1.15 | |
| | Christian Heritage | John Streekstra | John Streekstra | 734 | 2.07 | | 704 | 1.96 | |
| | ACT | Willie Martin | Willie Martin | 575 | 1.62 | | 1,228 | 3.43 | +0.89 |
| | Independent | Hendrik Kock | Hendrik Kock | 497 | 1.40 | | | | |
| | Legalise Cannabis | | | | | | 356 | 0.99 | -0.90 |
| | Christian Democrats | | | | | | 178 | 0.50 | |
| | United NZ | | | | | | 149 | 0.42 | -2.24 |
| | Libertarianz | | | | | | 48 | 0.13 | +0.12 |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | | | | | | 31 | 0.09 | -0.10 |
| | Animals First | | | | | | 30 | 0.08 | -0.09 |
| | One NZ | | | | | | 13 | 0.04 | |
| | Mana Māori | | | | | | 8 | 0.02 | -0.01 |
| | NMP | | | | | | 8 | 0.02 | |
| | Republican | | | | | | 4 | 0.01 | |
| | The People's Choice | | | | | | 4 | 0.01 | |
| | Natural Law | | | | | | 3 | 0.01 | |
| | Mauri Pacific | | | | | | 2 | 0.01 | |
| | Freedom Movement | | | | | | 1 | 0.00 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 697 | | | 358 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 35,488 | | | 35,827 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Majority | 10,608 | 29.89 | +17.77 | | | |

### 1996 election

1996 general election: Dunedin South :
| Notes: | Notes: | 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. |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Cullen | Michael Cullen | 12,829 | 36.37 | | 14,253 | 40.24 | |
| | Alliance | Leah McBey | Leah McBey | 8,553 | 24.25 | | 4,979 | 14.06 | |
| | National | Malcolm MacPherson | Malcolm MacPherson | 5,859 | 16.61 | | 9,241 | 26.09 | |
| | United NZ | Clive Matthewson | Clive Matthewson | 5,058 | 14.34 | | 942 | 2.66 | |
| | NZ First | Noeline McGlynn | Noeline McGlynn | 1,782 | 5.05 | | 2,929 | 8.27 | |
| | ACT | Roland Henderson | Roland Henderson | 505 | 1.43 | | 901 | 2.54 | |
| | Independent | Alan William McDonald | Alan William McDonald | 410 | 1.16 | | | | |
| | Progressive Green | David Beatty | David Beatty | 215 | 0.61 | | 107 | 0.30 | |
| | Natural Law | Inga Schader | Inga Schader | 58 | 0.16 | | 26 | 0.07 | |
| | Christian Coalition | | | | | | 1,150 | 3.25 | |
| | Legalise Cannabis | | | | | | 668 | 1.89 | |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | | | | | | 69 | 0.19 | |
| | Animals First | | | | | | 60 | 0.17 | |
| | Advance New Zealand | | | | | | 37 | 0.10 | |
| | Green Society | | | | | | 19 | 0.05 | |
| | Superannuitants & Youth | | | | | | 12 | 0.03 | |
| | Mana Māori | | | | | | 9 | 0.03 | |
| | Conservatives | | | | | | 8 | 0.02 | |
| | Ethnic Minority Party | | | | | | 6 | 0.02 | |
| | Libertarianz | | | | | | 4 | 0.01 | |
| | Asia Pacific United | | | | | | 2 | 0.01 | |
| | Te Tawharau | | | | | | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 269 | | | 116 | | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 35,269 | | | 35,422 | | |
| | Labour win new seat | Labour win new seat | Majority | 4,276 | 12.12 | | | | |

### 1943 election

1943 general election: Dunedin South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Jones | 8,032 | 58.65 | −6.80 |
| | National | David Murdoch | 4,971 | 36.30 | |
| | Democratic Labour | George Claridge | 586 | 4.27 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 104 | 0.75 | +0.25 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,061 | 22.35 | −9.07 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,693 | 92.14 | −1.50 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,861 | | |

### 1938 election

1938 general election: Dunedin South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Jones | 8,987 | 65.45 | +1.44 |
| | National | Ernest Aderman | 4,673 | 34.03 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 69 | 0.50 | +0.12 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,314 | 31.42 | +3.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,729 | 93.36 | +1.50 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,705 | | |

### 1935 election

1935 general election: Dunedin South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Jones | 7,715 | 64.01 | +6.58 |
| | United | Stuart Sidey | 4,337 | 35.98 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 46 | 0.38 | +0.14 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,378 | 28.02 | −3.89 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,052 | 91.86 | +3.08 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,119 | | |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Dunedin South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Jones | 6,559 | 57.43 | |
| | United | William Taverner | 2,915 | 25.52 | −14.69 |
| | Reform | Donald Cameron | 1,947 | 17.05 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,644 | 31.91 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 28 | 0.24 | −0.78 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,449 | 88.78 | −2.43 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,896 | | |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ William Taverner was the official candidate for the United–Reform Coalition

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Dunedin South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | United | William Taverner | 4,462 | 40.21 |
| | Labour | Robert William Hall | 4,429 | 39.92 |
| | Reform | Charles Todd | 2,205 | 19.87 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 33 | 0.30 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 115 | 1.03 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,211 | 91.21 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,291 | |

## Table footnotes

* ↑ 2014 Internet Mana swing is relative to the votes for Mana in 2011; it shared a party list with Internet in the 2014 election.