# Ashley (New Zealand electorate)

Ashley was a New Zealand electorate situated north of Christchurch. It was in use from 1866 to 1902, and was replaced with the Hurunui electorate.

## 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 Ashley, and the number of Members of Parliament was increased by 13 to 70.
The Ashley electorate was formed from a corner of Cheviot electorate, and included the towns of Ashley, Amberley, and Oxford. The electorate's boundaries remained roughly the same until the 1881 election, when it expanded slightly into Kaiapoi electorate and Amberley was returned to Cheviot. In the 1887 election, the electorate expanded westwards into Cheviot's southern tip. In the 1890 election, Cheviot itself was abolished, and the majority of its territory was absorbed into Ashley — to compensate, territory was taken from Ashley in the south and given to Kaiapoi. In the 1893 election, Ashley expanded further north, taking the town of Kaikōura from Wairau electorate, but ceded Oxford to Kaiapoi in the south. In the 1902 election, Ashley was dissolved, being replaced with an electorate called Hurunui, covering much the same area.

## History

The first representative was Lancelot Walker, who won the 1866 election unopposed. Walker resigned in the following year and was succeeded by Henry Tancred in the 1867 by-election; Tancred was also unopposed. Tancred retired at the end of the parliamentary term in 1870 and was succeeded by John Evans Brown, who won the election against two others. At the 1876 election, Brown was challenged by William Miles Maskell, who had been one of his opponents in 1871, but Brown retained his seat.
For the 1879 election, three candidates contested the election, with William Sefton Moorhouse gaining an absolute majority. The 1881 election was contested by five candidates, with William Fisher Pearson the winner. In the 1884 election, Pearson had a dominant win over one challenger.
In the 1890 election, the electorate was contested by Richard Meredith, James Dupré Lance and John George Knight, who received 648, 611 and 137 votes, respectively. Meredith was thus declared elected.

### Members of Parliament

Key
Independent Liberal
| Election | Winner |
| 1866 election | Lancelot Walker |
| 1867 by-election | Henry Tancred |
| 1871 election | John Brown |
| 1876 election | John Brown |
| 1879 election | William Moorhouse |
| 1881 election | William Pearson |
| 1884 election | William Pearson |
| 1887 election | William Pearson |
| 1888 by-election | John Verrall |
| 1890 election | Richard Meredith |
| 1893 election | Richard Meredith |
| 1896 election | Richard Meredith |
| 1899 election | Richard Meredith |
| (Electorate abolished in 1902; see Hurunui) |||

## Election results
### 1899 election

1899 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Meredith | 1,943 | 61.98 | +11.34 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Caverhill | 1,192 | 38.02 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 751 | 23.96 | +12.87 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,135 | 70.15 | −12.51 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,469 | | |

### 1896 election

1896 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Meredith | 1,700 | 50.64 | −8.20 |
| | Conservative | Henry Fear Reece | 1,328 | 39.56 | |
| | Liberal | George Renner | 329 | 9.80 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 372 | 11.08 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,357 | 82.66 | +12.25 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,061 | | |

### 1893 election

1893 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Meredith | 1,668 | 58.84 | +12.61 |
| | Conservative | David Duncan Macfarlane | 1,078 | 38.02 | |
| | Liberal | David Dick | 89 | 3.14 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 590 | 20.81 | +18.51 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,835 | 70.42 | |

### 1890 election

1890 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Richard Meredith | 643 | 46.22 |
| | Independent | James Dupré Lance | 611 | 43.92 |
| | Liberal | John George Knight | 137 | 9.84 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 38 | 2.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,391 | 55.90 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,488 | |

### 1888 by-election

1888 Ashley by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | John Verrall | 234 | 33.86 | +21.67 |
| | Independent | Alfred Saunders | 232 | 33.57 | |
| | Independent | Marmaduke Dixon | 225 | 32.56 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2 | 0.29 | −27.21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 691 | | |

### 1887 election

1887 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | William Fisher Pearson | 501 | 57.65 | −25.28 |
| | Independent | Robert Luke Higgins | 262 | 30.15 | |
| | Independent | John Verrall | 106 | 12.20 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 239 | 27.50 | −38.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 869 | 58.96 | 25.03 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,474 | | |

### 1884 election

1884 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | William Fisher Pearson | 413 | 82.93 | +38.01 |
| | Independent | Peter Duncan | 85 | 17.07 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 328 | 65.86 | +44.51 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 498 | 33.92 | −25.18 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,468 | | |

### 1881 election

1881 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | William Fisher Pearson | 385 | 44.92 | |
| | Independent | James Guild | 202 | 23.57 | |
| | Independent | Marmaduke Dixon | 158 | 18.44 | |
| | Independent | James Alexander Cunningham | 104 | 12.14 | +3.44 |
| | Independent | William Patterson | 8 | 0.93 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 183 | 21.35 | 11.61 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 857 | 59.10 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,450 | | |

### 1879 election

1879 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | William Sefton Moorhouse | 337 | 50.52 | |
| | Independent | Walpole Cheshire Fendall | 272 | 40.78 | |
| | Independent | James Alexander Cunningham | 58 | 8.70 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 65 | 9.75 | −5.72 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 686 | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |

### 1875–1876 election

1875–1876 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | John Evans Brown | 265 | 57.73 | +4.30 |
| | Independent | William Miles Maskell | 194 | 42.27 | +21.33 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 15.47 | −12.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 459 | | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |

### 1871 election

1871 general election: Ashley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | John Evans Brown | 171 | 53.44 |
| | Independent | Albert Charles Gray | 82 | 25.63 |
| | Independent | William Miles Maskell | 67 | 20.94 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 89 | 27.81 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 320 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | |