# Sydenham (New Zealand electorate)

Sydenham was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1881 to 1890 and again from 1946 to 1996. It had notable politicians representing it like Mabel Howard (the first female cabinet minister in New Zealand), Norman Kirk (who became Prime Minister while holding Sydenham) and Jim Anderton (a former Father of the House, who started his parliamentary career in Sydenham).

## 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 Sydenham, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.
The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, 19 electorates were created for the first time, and eight former electorates were re-established, including Sydenham.
This suburban electorate is in the southern suburbs of Christchurch including Sydenham.

## History

The electorate existed from 1881 to 1890 and then from the 1946 election to the 1996 election, the first mixed-member proportional (MMP) election.
The first MP for Sydenham was William White from 1881 to 1886. He resigned upon receiving medical advice.
From 1886 to 1890, it was represented by Richard Molesworth Taylor.
From 1946 to 1996, the electorate was always left leaning. In 1946, Mabel Howard was elected. She held the electorate until 1969, when the Labour Party introduced rules that forced her to retire. In 1947 she became New Zealand's first woman cabinet minister when she was made Minister of Health and Minister in charge of Child Welfare. She is remembered for waving two large pairs of bloomers in parliament in support of her successful campaign to have clothing sizes standardised.
Howard was succeeded by Norman Kirk, who in 1969 shifted from the Lyttelton electorate to the safer Labour electorate of Sydenham. During his representation of Sydenham, he became Prime Minister. He died in office on 31 August 1974.
John Kirk succeeded his father in a 1974 by-election. Kirk Jr. held the electorate for ten years until 1984. In July 1983, John Kirk announced that he would not seek the Labour Party's nomination for Sydenham in the 1984 election. In his place Labour selected Jim Anderton, the party president, whereupon Kirk (a strong David Lange supporter) declared that he would stand against the official Labour candidate as an independent. His continuing opposition to Anderton's selection resulted in the Labour Party's New Zealand Council suspending him from membership of the Labour Party. Kirk served out the remainder of his parliamentary career as an Independent MP. John Kirk left New Zealand in 1984 while still an MP for Sydenham, as he owed more than $280,000. He was arrested in the US and imprisoned, and then extradited to New Zealand, where he was charged under the Insolvency Act 1985. He was sentenced to four months' periodic detention.
Anderton was successful in Sydenham in 1969 and started his long parliamentary career. He held the seat until the abolition of the electorate in 1996 then transferring to Wigram, and from 29 April 2009 until his retirement at the 2011 election he was Father of the House. While holding Sydenham, Anderton defected from the Labour Party to found the NewLabour Party in 1989, and was re-elected in the electorate in 1990. In 1991, NewLabour and several other parties formed the Alliance, a broad left-wing coalition. Anderton was elected for the Alliance in 1993.
Sydenham was abolished in 1996 and replaced by the Wigram electorate.

### Members of Parliament

Key
Independent  Labour  NewLabour  Alliance
| Election | Winner |
| 1881 election | William White |
| 1884 election | William White |
| 1886 by-election | Richard Taylor |
| 1887 election | Richard Taylor |
| (electorate abolished 1890–1946) |||
| 1946 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1949 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1951 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1954 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1957 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1960 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1963 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1966 election | Mabel Howard |
| 1969 election | Norman Kirk |
| 1972 election | Norman Kirk |
| 1974 by-election | John Kirk$^1$ |
| 1975 election | John Kirk$^1$ |
| 1978 election | John Kirk$^1$ |
| 1981 election | John Kirk$^1$ |
| 1984 election | Jim Anderton$^2$ |
| 1987 election | Jim Anderton$^2$ |
| 1990 election | Jim Anderton$^2$ |
| 1993 election | Jim Anderton$^2$ |
| (Electorate abolished in 1996; see Wigram) |||
$^1$ John Kirk became an independent in 1983. $^2$ Jim Anderton defected to New Labour in 1989, and co-founded the Alliance in 1991.

## Election results
### 1993 election

1993 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Alliance | Jim Anderton | 12,466 | 57.73 | +9.35 |
| | Labour | Greg Coyle | 4,990 | 23.11 | |
| | National | Gerry Brownlee | 3,209 | 14.86 | |
| | NZ First | Nicci Bergman | 386 | 1.78 | |
| | Christian Heritage | Martha Alberts | 346 | 1.60 | |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | Mark Dunick | 110 | 0.50 | |
| | Natural Law | Carolyn Drake | 62 | 0.28 | |
| | Dominion Workers | Clifford Mundy | 12 | 0.05 | −0.01 |
| | Economic Euthenics | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 10 | 0.04 | −0.14 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,476 | 34.62 | +14.87 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,591 | 86.12 | +0.56 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 25,069 | | |

### 1990 election

1990 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | NewLabour | Jim Anderton | 9,821 | 48.38 | −15.42 |
| | Labour | Linda Constable | 5,812 | 28.63 | |
| | National | Judith Harrington | 4,369 | 21.52 | −8.73 |
| | Democrats | John Ring | 134 | 0.66 | |
| | McGillicuddy Serious | Wayne Graham Graves | 112 | 0.55 | |
| | Economic Euthenics | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 37 | 0.18 | −0.29 |
| | Dominion Workers | Clifford Mundy | 13 | 0.06 | −0.06 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,009 | 19.75 | −13.79 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,298 | 85.56 | +1.08 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 23,722 | | |

### 1987 election

1987 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Anderton | 12,241 | 63.80 | +8.45 |
| | National | Judith Harrington | 5,805 | 30.25 | |
| | Democrats | Neville Minchington | 794 | 4.13 | |
| | NZ Party | Ross Holliday | 124 | 0.64 | |
| | Wizard Party | Patrick J. Wilkins | 107 | 0.55 | |
| | Economic Euthenics | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 91 | 0.47 | +0.26 |
| | Dominion Workers | Clifford Mundy | 24 | 0.12 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,436 | 33.54 | −0.52 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,186 | 84.48 | −7.29 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 22,709 | | |

### 1984 election

1984 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jim Anderton | 11,789 | 55.35 | |
| | National | Pat Bonisch | 4,534 | 21.29 | |
| | Social Credit | Richard Bach | 2,461 | 11.55 | −12.36 |
| | NZ Party | Alan Blackadder | 2,324 | 10.91 | |
| | Values | Peter Scholes | 142 | 0.66 | |
| | Economic Euthenics | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 46 | 0.21 | −0.77 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,255 | 34.06 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,296 | 91.77 | +4.88 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 23,205 | | |

### 1981 election

1981 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Kirk | 10,232 | 52.76 | −6.43 |
| | Social Credit | Richard Bach | 4,638 | 23.91 | |
| | National | Warwick Sykes | 4,330 | 22.32 | |
| | Economic Euthenics | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 191 | 0.98 | +0.93 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,594 | 28.84 | −7.43 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,391 | 86.89 | +23.82 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 22,315 | | |

### 1978 election

1978 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Kirk | 11,487 | 59.19 | +5.01 |
| | National | Ian Wilson | 4,807 | 24.77 | |
| | Social Credit | Terry Heffernan | 2,463 | 12.69 | |
| | Values | Andy Lea | 610 | 3.14 | −3.87 |
| | Socialist Unity | Robin Black | 27 | 0.13 | |
| | Economic Euthenics | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 11 | 0.05 | −0.14 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,040 | 36.27 | +15.77 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,405 | 63.07 | 16.12 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,764 | | |

### 1975 election

1975 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Kirk | 10,086 | 54.18 | −8.68 |
| | National | Paul Matheson | 6,269 | 33.68 | |
| | Values | Andy Lea | 1,306 | 7.01 | +0.55 |
| | Social Credit | Joe Pounsford | 898 | 4.82 | −11.95 |
| | Pensioners' Party | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 36 | 0.19 | |
| | Socialist Unity | Ron O'Brien | 18 | 0.09 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,817 | 20.50 | −25.59 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,613 | 79.19 | +27.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 23,503 | | |

### 1974 by-election

1974 Sydenham by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Kirk | 6,664 | 62.86 | |
| | Social Credit | Joe Poundsford | 1,778 | 16.77 | |
| | Values | Andy Lea | 685 | 6.46 | |
| | Independent National | Saul Goldsmith | 684 | 6.45 | |
| | Independent | David Crawford | 321 | 3.02 | |
| | Christian Independent | Tom Fouhy | 274 | 2.58 | |
| | Socialist Action | Kay Goodger | 181 | 1.70 | |
| | Liberal | David Mitchell | 13 | 0.12 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 101 | 0.95 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,886 | 46.09 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,600 | 51.88 | −37.69 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,428 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1972 election

1972 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Norman Kirk | 11,711 | 67.45 | +3.90 |
| | National | John Burn | 4,722 | 27.19 | |
| | Social Credit | Alan Easterbrook | 758 | 4.36 | |
| | Independent | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 67 | 0.38 | −0.28 |
| | New Democratic | John Bernard Elliot | 62 | 0.35 | |
| | Independent | Michael Leeman-Smith | 42 | 0.24 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,989 | 40.25 | +4.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,362 | 89.57 | +2.92 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,382 | | |

### 1969 election

1969 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Norman Kirk | 10,575 | 63.55 | |
| | National | Peter Morrisey | 4,549 | 27.33 | |
| | Social Credit | Joe Pounsford | 1,285 | 7.72 | −9.67 |
| | Independent | Ian Andrew More | 121 | 0.72 | |
| | Independent | Michael "Tubby" Hansen | 110 | 0.66 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,026 | 36.21 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,640 | 86.65 | +3.95 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,203 | | |

### 1966 election

1966 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 8,071 | 53.34 | −8.25 |
| | National | Helen Garrett | 4,124 | 27.25 | |
| | Social Credit | Joe Pounsford | 2,631 | 17.39 | +6.46 |
| | Independent | Tommy Armstrong | 303 | 2.00 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,947 | 26.08 | −8.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,129 | 82.70 | −3.05 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,293 | | |

### 1963 election

1963 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 9,745 | 61.59 | −1.07 |
| | National | Derek Quigley | 4,346 | 27.46 | −1.17 |
| | Social Credit | Joe Pounsford | 1,730 | 10.93 | +2.24 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,399 | 34.12 | +0.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,821 | 85.75 | −0.90 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,450 | | |

### 1960 election

1960 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 8,827 | 62.66 | −6.17 |
| | National | Derek Quigley | 4,034 | 28.63 | |
| | Social Credit | Joe Pounsford | 1,225 | 8.69 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,793 | 34.02 | −9.45 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,086 | 86.65 | −3.90 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,255 | | |

### 1957 election

1957 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 10,213 | 68.83 | +7.10 |
| | National | Oliver G. Moody | 3,763 | 25.36 | |
| | Social Credit | George Lynne | 860 | 5.79 | −11.52 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,450 | 43.47 | +2.72 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,836 | 90.55 | +2.63 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,384 | | |

### 1954 election

1954 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 8,420 | 61.73 | −6.02 |
| | National | Alma Schumacher | 2,860 | 20.96 | |
| | Social Credit | George Lynne | 2,362 | 17.31 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,560 | 40.75 | +5.27 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,642 | 87.92 | +1.79 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,515 | | |

### 1951 election

1951 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 8,406 | 67.75 | −4.20 |
| | National | Albert Hugh Stott | 4,003 | 32.25 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,403 | 35.48 | 8.42 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,409 | 86.13 | −3.74 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,407 | | |

### 1949 election

1949 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 9,246 | 71.95 | −3.25 |
| | National | Oliver G. Moody | 3,603 | 28.05 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,643 | 43.90 | −6.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,849 | 89.87 | −0.23 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,296 | | |

### 1946 election

1946 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Mabel Howard | 10,063 | 75.20 |
| | National | Ruric Hunter | 3,317 | 24.80 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,746 | 50.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,380 | 90.10 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,849 | |

### 1887 election

1887 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Richard Taylor | 766 | 66.15 | +26.80 |
| | Independent | John Crewes | 392 | 33.85 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 374 | 32.30 | +30.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,158 | 57.02 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,031 | | |

### 1886 by-election

1886 Sydenham by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Richard Molesworth Taylor | 438 | 39.35 | |
| | Independent | John Lee Scott | 418 | 37.56 | +1.10 |
| | Independent | Samuel Paull Andrews | 230 | 20.66 | |
| | Independent | S. G. Jolly | 2 | 0.18 | |
| Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | Rejected ballots | 25 | 2.25 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,113 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20 | 1.80 | −23.53 |

### 1884 election

1884 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | William White | 776 | 62.68 | −3.12 |
| | Independent | John Lee Scott | 462 | 37.32 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 314 | 25.36 | −24.24 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,238 | 55.29 | +2.92 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,239 | | |

### 1881 election

1881 general election: Sydenham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | William White | 662 | 65.81 |
| | Independent | Charles Clark | 163 | 16.20 |
| | Independent | James Treadwell | 111 | 11.03 |
| | Independent | John Richard Andrew | 70 | 6.96 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 499 | 49.60 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,006 | 52.37 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,921 | |