# Clutha (New Zealand electorate)

Clutha was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate from 1866 to 1996.

## Population centres

In the 1865 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives focussed its review of electorates to South Island electorates only, as the Otago gold rush had caused significant population growth, and a redistribution of the existing population. Fifteen additional South Island electorates were created, including Clutha, and the number of Members of Parliament was increased by 13 to 70.
This electorate covered South Otago and contained the settlements of Balclutha, Kaitangata, and Owaka. It was later enlarged to include much of the Bruce electorate, Including the town of Milton.

## History

The electorate was established in 1865 for the 1866 election. The first representative was James Macandrew, who had served on all previous parliaments. At the 1871 election, Macandrew successfully stood in the Port Chalmers, and Clutha was won by James Thomson. In the 1887 election, Thomson was defeated by Thomas Mackenzie. Mackenzie retired from Parliament at the end of the third term for Clutha in 1896.
The 1896 election was won by James Thomson, who thus started his second period of service. Thomson retired after three terms in 1905, and this was also the end of his political career.
* Alexander Malcolm 1905–22
* John Edie 1922–25
* Fred Waite 1925–31
* Peter McSkimming 1931–35
In the 1996 election, the first MMP election, the electorate was combined with the adjacent Wallace electorate into the Clutha-Southland electorate.

### Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by ten Members of Parliament:
Key
Independent Liberal Conservative Reform National
| Election | Winner |
| 1866 election | James Macandrew |
| 1871 election | James Thomson |
| 1876 election | James Thomson |
| 1879 election | James Thomson |
| 1881 election | James Thomson |
| 1884 election | James Thomson |
| 1887 election | Thomas Mackenzie |
| 1890 election | Thomas Mackenzie |
| 1893 election | Thomas Mackenzie |
| 1896 election | James Thomson |
| 1899 election | James Thomson |
| 1902 election | James Thomson |
| 1905 election | Alexander Malcolm |
| 1908 election | Alexander Malcolm |
| 1911 election | Alexander Malcolm |
| 1914 election | Alexander Malcolm |
| 1919 election | Alexander Malcolm |
| 1922 election | John Edie |
| 1925 election | Fred Waite |
| 1928 election | Fred Waite |
| 1931 election | Peter McSkimming |
| 1935 election | James Roy |
| 1938 election | James Roy |
| 1943 election | James Roy |
| 1946 election | James Roy |
| 1949 election | James Roy |
| 1951 election | James Roy |
| 1954 election | James Roy |
| 1958 election | James Roy |
| 1960 election | Peter Gordon |
| 1963 election | Peter Gordon |
| 1966 election | Peter Gordon |
| 1969 election | Peter Gordon |
| 1972 election | Peter Gordon |
| 1975 election | Peter Gordon |
| 1978 election | Robin Gray |
| 1981 election | Robin Gray |
| 1984 election | Robin Gray |
| 1987 election | Robin Gray |
| 1990 election | Robin Gray |
| 1993 election | Robin Gray |
| (Electorate abolished in 1996; see Clutha-Southland) |||
* ↑ James Roy was elected as an Independent supporting the United–Reform Coalition in 1935, and in 1936 he joined the National Party.
* ↑ Vote was postponed to 18 January 1958 as the original Labour candidate, Bruce Waters, died on 29 November 1957, one day before the election.

## Election results
### 1958 supplementary election

1958 supplementary election: Clutha :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | James Roy | 7,187 | 57.35 | +9.09 |
| | Labour | Joseph Fahey | 5,015 | 40.02 | |
| | Social Credit | Colin Aberdeen | 328 | 2.61 | −10.50 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,172 | 17.33 | +7.69 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,530 | 81.86 | −21.01 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,306 | | |
On 26 November 1957, Bruce Waters, the Labour candidate for Clutha was admitted to Balclutha Public Hospital after a car collision. As a result Waters was unable to engage in any further election campaigning. Due to this development the National and Social Credit candidates cancelled their remaining campaign meetings. Waters died on 29 November causing the election to be delayed. On December 4, after the general election, the outgoing Prime Minister (Keith Holyoake) and incoming Prime Minister (Walter Nash) agreed that the election for Clutha would be held on 18 January. In the intervening time between when the election was scheduled for and the reassigned date one candidate withdrew, Bill Caldwell, who had previously intended to stand as an independent National candidate. Labour selected Joseph Fahey, a farmer from Lawrence, as Waters' replacement to contest the seat on 20 December. When the election was finally held, National candidate James Roy won by a margin of 2,172 votes.

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Clutha :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Peter McSkimming | 4,751 | 59.60 | |
| | Reform | Fred Waite | 3,221 | 40.40 | −12.82 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,530 | 19.19 | +12.75 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 145 | 1.79 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,117 | 86.68 | −2.82 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,364 | | |
* ↑ McSkimming was affiliated with the United Party.

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Clutha :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | Fred Waite | 4,318 | 53.22 | +1.84 |
| | Liberal–Labour | Joseph Stephens | 3,795 | 46.78 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 523 | 6.45 | −15.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,175 | 89.50 | +6.92 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,134 | | |

### 1925 election

1925 general election: Clutha :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Reform | Fred Waite | 3,604 | 51.38 |
| | Liberal | John Edie | 2,097 | 29.90 |
| | Labour | John W Fenton | 1,313 | 18.72 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,507 | 21.49 |

### 1899 election

1899 general election: Clutha :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | James William Thomson | 1,809 | 48.55 |
| | Liberal | Finlay McLeod | 1,312 | 35.21 |
| | Independent | Alexander Malcolm | 605 | 16.24 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 497 | 13.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,726 | 75.65 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,925 | |

### 1893 election

1893 general election: Clutha :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Thomas Mackenzie | 1,971 | 63.38 |
| | Liberal | James Burgh | 1,139 | 36.62 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 832 | 26.75 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,110 | 75.50 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,119 | |