# Petone (New Zealand electorate)

Petone is a former parliamentary electorate in the lower Hutt Valley of New Zealand, from 1946 to 1978. The electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament from the Labour Party.

## Population centres

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, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Petone. The electorate was based on the southern part of the city of Lower Hutt. Settlements within the electorate included the suburb of Petone, Wainuiomata, and Eastbourne.
The Petone electorate was abolished through the 1977 electoral redistribution. Most of its area went to the Pencarrow electorate, while some area, including the suburb of Petone, transferred to the Western Hutt electorate.

## History

The Petone electorate was first used for the 1946 election. Its first representative was Mick Moohan of the Labour Party, who was Minister of Railways from 1957 to 1960 while serving the electorate. Moohan died in office on 7 February 1967.
This caused the 1967 by-election, which was won by Fraser Colman. He served until the electorate was abolished in 1978, and moved to the Pencarrow electorate.

### Members of Parliament

The Petone electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament.
Key
Labour
| Election | Winner |
| 1946 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1949 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1951 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1954 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1957 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1960 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1963 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1966 election | Mick Moohan |
| 1967 by-election | Fraser Colman |
| 1969 election | Fraser Colman |
| 1972 election | Fraser Colman |
| 1975 election | Fraser Colman |
| (Electorate abolished in 1978; see Pencarrow and Western Hutt) |||

## Election results
### 1975 election

1975 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fraser Colman | 8,333 | 51.28 | −11.83 |
| | National | Brel Gluyas | 5,499 | 33.84 | |
| | Values | Ian Donaldson | 1,168 | 7.18 | |
| | Social Credit | Reg Moore | 1,155 | 7.10 | +2.39 |
| | Liberal | John Anthony Patrick Broderick | 62 | 0.38 | |
| | Socialist Action | Russell Johnson | 31 | 0.19 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,834 | 17.44 | −18.86 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,248 | 80.96 | −7.30 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,069 | | |

### 1972 election

1972 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fraser Colman | 9,334 | 63.11 | +4.23 |
| | National | Nick Ursin | 3,994 | 27.00 | |
| | Social Credit | Reg Moore | 698 | 4.71 | |
| | Values | L B Frost | 674 | 4.55 | |
| | New Democratic | E G M Tyley | 90 | 0.60 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,340 | 36.10 | −12.24 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,790 | 88.26 | −0.36 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,756 | | |

### 1969 election

1969 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fraser Colman | 8,512 | 58.88 | +4.28 |
| | National | Francis Joshua Handy | 5,064 | 35.03 | |
| | Social Credit | K H Walker | 880 | 6.08 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,450 | 23.86 | +0.11 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,456 | 88.62 | +21.05 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,312 | | |

### 1967 by-election

1967 Petone by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fraser Colman | 7,086 | 54.60 | |
| | National | Dick Martin | 4,003 | 30.84 | |
| | Social Credit | Colin Whitmill | 1,888 | 14.54 | +2.43 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,083 | 23.75 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,977 | 67.57 | −20.17 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,203 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1966 election

1966 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 8,301 | 52.12 | −2.78 |
| | National | Joe Miller | 5,694 | 35.75 | |
| | Social Credit | Colin Whitmill | 1,929 | 12.11 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,607 | 16.37 | +1.23 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,924 | 84.74 | −3.42 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,791 | | |

### 1963 election

1963 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 8,875 | 54.90 | −1.07 |
| | National | Peter Love | 6,427 | 39.75 | |
| | Social Credit | Thomas Frank Foulger | 688 | 4.25 | |
| | Independent | C G Stancliff | 175 | 1.08 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,448 | 15.14 | −3.55 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,165 | 88.16 | −1.60 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,335 | | |

### 1960 election

1960 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 8,738 | 55.97 | −5.15 |
| | National | Dick Martin | 5,820 | 37.28 | |
| | Social Credit | Desmond George Long | 1,052 | 6.73 | −1.94 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,918 | 18.69 | −8.35 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,610 | 89.76 | −3.05 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,389 | | |

### 1957 election

1957 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 9,401 | 61.12 | −0.07 |
| | National | Dan Riddiford | 5,242 | 34.08 | |
| | Social Credit | Desmond George Long | 737 | 4.79 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,159 | 27.04 | −2.14 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,380 | 92.81 | +6.42 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,571 | | |

### 1954 election

1954 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 8,831 | 61.19 | +2.90 |
| | National | Fanny Elizabeth Soward | 4,620 | 32.01 | |
| | Social Credit | Robert Leslie Allan | 859 | 5.95 | |
| | Communist | Connie Birchfield | 120 | 0.83 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,211 | 29.18 | +12.59 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,430 | 86.39 | −1.81 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,702 | | |

### 1951 election

1951 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 7,502 | 58.29 | −0.55 |
| | National | Norm Croft | 5,367 | 41.70 | +2.12 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,135 | 16.59 | −2.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,869 | 88.20 | −4.23 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,590 | | |

### 1949 election

1949 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 7,721 | 58.84 | −6.53 |
| | National | Norm Croft | 5,194 | 39.58 | |
| | Communist | Arthur Philip Quinn | 207 | 1.57 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,527 | 19.25 | −11.49 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,122 | 92.43 | +0.29 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,196 | | |

### 1946 election

1946 general election: Petone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Mick Moohan | 8,545 | 65.37 |
| | National | George London | 4,526 | 34.62 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,019 | 30.74 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,071 | 92.14 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,185 | |