# Gisborne (New Zealand electorate)

Gisborne is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed from 1908 to 1996, and it was represented by 12 Members of Parliament.

## Population centres

In the 1907 electoral redistribution, a major change that had to be allowed for was a reduction of the tolerance to ±750 to those electorates where the country quota applied. The North Island had once again a higher population growth than the South Island, and three seats were transferred from south to north. In the resulting boundary distribution, every existing electorate was affected, and three electorates were established for the first time, including the Taumarunui electorate. These changes took effect with the 1908 election.
The city of Gisborne was located within the electorate. In the initial area covered by the electorate, the city was located near the electorate's northern border, and it went as far south as just short of Bay View. Wairoa was thus also located within the initial area.
In the 1911 electoral redistribution, the southern boundary shifted north significantly, and Wairoa was lost to the Hawke's Bay electorate. In the 1918 electoral redistribution, the Gisborne electorate lost large inland areas, but re-gained Wairoa. In the 1922 electoral redistribution, changes to the boundaries were minimal, and in the 1927 electoral redistribution, the electorate was left unaltered.
In the 1937 electoral redistribution, large inland areas were gained and Wairoa lost. The changes in the 1946 electoral redistribution were most significant, with the city of Gisborne now located near the southern boundary of the electorate, and all of the East Cape being gained. The electorate now included the settlements of Te Karaka, Matawai, Tolaga Bay, and Tokomaru Bay.

## History

The electorate existed from 1908 to 1996, when it was replaced by the Mahia electorate, which was renamed East Coast from 2002. Its first representative was James Carroll of the Liberal Party, who served for three terms until his defeat in the 1919 election. Douglas Lysnar represented the Gisborne electorate from 1919 to 1931, when he was defeated.
In the 1928 contest Lysnar stood as an Independent supporter of the Reform Party and was successful. During 1930, he stopped supporting the Reform Party and became fully independent. At the following election in 1931 he ran as an Independent, but was not returned, beaten by Labour's David Coleman.

### Members of Parliament

Key
Liberal  Reform  Independent  Labour  National
| Election | Winner |
| 1908 election | James Carroll |
| 1911 election | James Carroll |
| 1914 election | James Carroll |
| 1919 election | Douglas Lysnar |
| 1922 election | Douglas Lysnar |
| 1925 election | Douglas Lysnar |
| 1928 election | Douglas Lysnar |
| 1931 election | David Coleman |
| 1935 election | David Coleman |
| 1938 election | David Coleman |
| 1943 election | David Coleman |
| 1946 election | David Coleman |
| 1949 election | Reginald Keeling |
| 1951 election | Harry Dudfield |
| 1954 election | Reginald Keeling (2nd period) |
| 1957 election | Reginald Keeling (2nd period) |
| 1960 election | Esme Tombleson |
| 1963 election | Esme Tombleson |
| 1966 election | Esme Tombleson |
| 1969 election | Esme Tombleson |
| 1972 election | Trevor Davey |
| 1975 election | Bob Bell |
| 1978 election | Bob Bell |
| 1981 election | Bob Bell |
| 1984 election | Allan Wallbank |
| 1987 election | Allan Wallbank |
| 1990 election | Wayne Kimber |
| 1993 election | Janet Mackey |
| (Electorate abolished in 1996; see Mahia) |||

## Election results
### 1943 election

1943 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Coleman | 6,677 | 55.06 | −8.93 |
| | National | Harry Barker | 4,756 | 39.22 | |
| | Democratic Labour | Trevor Lyon | 572 | 4.71 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 121 | 0.99 | +0.44 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 572 | 4.71 | −23.84 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,126 | 93.77 | +1.39 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,931 | | |

### 1938 election

1938 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Coleman | 8,158 | 63.99 | +5.44 |
| | National | Kenneth Francis Jones | 4,518 | 35.44 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 71 | 0.55 | −0.19 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,640 | 28.55 | +11.44 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,747 | 92.38 | +4.13 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,797 | | |

### 1935 election

1935 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Coleman | 6,230 | 58.55 | +13.61 |
| | Independent | Douglas Lysnar | 4,409 | 41.44 | −0.34 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 79 | 0.74 | +0.45 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,821 | 17.11 | +13.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,639 | 88.25 | +4.83 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,055 | | |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | David Coleman | 4,436 | 44.94 |
| | Independent | Douglas Lysnar | 4,124 | 41.78 |
| | Reform | Harry de Lautour | 1,311 | 13.28 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 29 | 0.29 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 312 | 3.16 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,900 | 83.42 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,867 | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Douglas Lysnar | 3,746 | 38.30 |
| | Labour | David Coleman | 3,400 | 34.76 |
| | United | William Lissant Clayton | 2,635 | 26.94 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 346 | 3.54 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 68 | 0.69 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,849 | 87.07 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,311 | |

### 1922 election

1922 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | Douglas Lysnar | 3,465 | 38.71 | +0.80 |
| | Liberal | George Wildish | 2,965 | 33.12 | |
| | Labour | Tom Brindle | 2,521 | 28.16 | −0.66 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 500 | 5.59 | +0.94 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,951 | 80.61 | +10.95 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,104 | | |

### 1919 election

1919 general election: Gisborne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Reform | Douglas Lysnar | 3,041 | 37.91 |
| | Liberal | James Carroll | 2,668 | 33.26 |
| | Labour | Tom Brindle | 2,312 | 28.82 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 114 | 1.40 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 373 | 4.65 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,135 | 69.66 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,678 | |