# Buller (New Zealand electorate)

Buller is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1871 to 1972. It was represented by eleven Members of Parliament.

## Population centres

The 1870 electoral redistribution was undertaken by a parliamentary select committee based on population data from the 1867 New Zealand census. Eight sub-committees were formed, with two members each making decisions for their own province; thus members set their own electorate boundaries. The number of electorates was increased from 61 to 72, and Buller was one of the new electorates. The Buller electorate was created from areas that previously belonged to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Settlements located in the initial electorate area were Westport, Inangahua Junction, and Reefton. For the 1879 election, polling booths were in Westport, Charleston, Brighton, Addison's, Waimangaroa, Inangahua Junction, Lyell, and Karamea.

## History

The electorate's first representative was Eugene O'Conor, who was successful in the 1871 election, but he was defeated at the next election in 1876 by Joseph Henry. Henry in turn was defeated by James Bickerton Fisher at the 1879 election. Fisher retired at the end of the parliamentary term in 1881.
Fisher was succeeded by John Munro, who won the 1881 election. Munro was defeated at the next election in 1884 by Eugene O'Conor, who thus started his second period of representation. O'Conor, who joined the Liberal Party, was beaten in 1893 election by Roderick McKenzie. In the 1896 election, McKenzie successfully stood in the Motueka electorate.
Patrick O'Regan won the 1896 election in the Buller electorate. At the 1899 election, he was defeated by James Colvin, who held the electorate until his death in 1919.
From 1919 the Buller electorate was represented by two radical trade unionists from the coal mines of the West Coast, Harry Holland and Paddy Webb. Harry Holland and then Jerry Skinner died in office.
In 1972, the electorate was split into the West Coast and Tasman electorates.

### Members of Parliament

The Buller electorate was represented by eleven MPs:
Key
Independent Liberal Independent Liberal Labour
| Election | Winner |
| 1871 election | Eugene O'Conor |
| 1876 election | Joseph Henry |
| 1879 election | James Bickerton Fisher |
| 1881 election | John Munro |
| 1884 election | Eugene O'Conor |
| 1887 election | Eugene O'Conor |
| 1890 election | Eugene O'Conor |
| 1893 election | Roderick McKenzie |
| 1896 election | Patrick O'Regan |
| 1899 election | James Colvin |
| 1902 election | James Colvin |
| 1905 election | James Colvin |
| 1908 election | James Colvin |
| 1911 election | James Colvin |
| 1914 election | James Colvin |
| 1919 election | Harry Holland |
| 1922 election | Harry Holland |
| 1925 election | Harry Holland |
| 1928 election | Harry Holland |
| 1931 election | Harry Holland |
| 1933 by-election | Paddy Webb |
| 1935 election | Paddy Webb |
| 1938 election | Paddy Webb |
| 1943 election | Paddy Webb |
| 1946 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1949 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1951 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1954 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1957 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1960 election | Jerry Skinner |
| 1962 by-election | Bill Rowling |
| 1963 election | Bill Rowling |
| 1966 election | Bill Rowling |
| 1969 election | Bill Rowling |
| (Electorate abolished 1972; see Tasman and West Coast) |||

## Election results
### 1969 election

1969 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bill Rowling | 8,319 | 53.36 | +5.00 |
| | National | Ernie King | 5,497 | 35.25 | +0.58 |
| | Social Credit | D L Hodgkinson | 1,774 | 11.37 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,822 | 18.10 | +4.57 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,590 | 87.67 | −0.31 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,782 | | |

### 1966 election

1966 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bill Rowling | 6,510 | 48.36 | −3.92 |
| | National | Ernie King | 4,668 | 34.67 | −5.70 |
| | Social Credit | W P B Dobier | 2,286 | 16.97 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,822 | 13.53 | +1.63 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,464 | 87.98 | −2.93 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,303 | | |

### 1963 election

1963 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bill Rowling | 7,338 | 52.28 | +7.30 |
| | National | Ernie King | 5,667 | 40.37 | +1.21 |
| | Social Credit | E Wells | 1,033 | 7.35 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,671 | 11.90 | +8.50 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,038 | 90.91 | +11.51 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,440 | | |

### 1962 by-election

1962 Buller by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bill Rowling | 5,242 | 44.98 | |
| | National | Ernie King | 4,846 | 41.58 | +5.58 |
| | Social Credit | P. H. Matthews | 1,566 | 13.44 | −1.36 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 396 | 3.40 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 37 | 0.32 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,691 | 79.40 | −12.70 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,724 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1960 election

1960 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 6,380 | 47.58 | −3.11 |
| | National | Ernie King | 4,834 | 36.05 | |
| | Social Credit | P. H. Matthews | 1,984 | 14.79 | +5.70 |
| | Independent | Oscar Bergh | 210 | 1.56 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,546 | 11.53 | −6.41 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,408 | 91.48 | −1.05 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,656 | | |

### 1957 election

1957 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 7,563 | 50.69 | −7.07 |
| | National | Norman Leon Bensemann | 4,886 | 32.74 | |
| | Social Credit | P. H. Matthews | 1,357 | 9.09 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,677 | 17.94 | −7.63 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,806 | 92.53 | +2.00 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,920 | | |

### 1954 election

1954 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 7,559 | 57.76 | +3.11 |
| | National | Derisly Manwell Carson | 4,211 | 32.17 | |
| | Social Credit | W T Eggleston | 1,319 | 10.07 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,348 | 25.57 | +16.28 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,089 | 90.53 | +4.53 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,458 | | |

### 1951 election

1951 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 7,215 | 54.65 | −3.42 |
| | National | Phil McDonald | 5,988 | 45.35 | +3.42 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,227 | 9.29 | −6.84 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,203 | 86.00 | −6.31 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,352 | | |

### 1949 election

1949 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 7,941 | 58.07 | −2.71 |
| | National | Phil McDonald | 5,735 | 41.93 | +2.71 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,206 | 16.13 | −5.42 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,676 | 92.31 | −2.57 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,814 | | |

### 1946 election

1946 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Jerry Skinner | 8,211 | 60.78 |
| | National | Phil McDonald | 5,299 | 39.22 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,912 | 21.55 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,510 | 94.88 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,239 | |

### 1933 by-election

1933 Buller by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Paddy Webb | 4,799 | 68.10 | |
| | Liberal–Labour | H. Ian Simson | 2,249 | 31.90 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 343 | 4.86 | +3.14 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,550 | 36.18 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,048 | 71.36 | −17.66 |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Harry Holland | 6,136 | 71.01 |
| | Reform | John Menzies | 2,505 | 28.99 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,631 | 42.02 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 151 | 1.72 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,792 | 89.02 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,876 | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Holland | 5,988 | 70.33 | +11.12 |
| | Reform | Dugald Macdonald Robertson | 2,371 | 27.85 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,617 | 42.48 | +23.20 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 154 | 1.80 | +0.95 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,513 | 90.84 | −3.08 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,371 | | |

### 1925 election

1925 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Holland | 4,704 | 59.21 | −0.59 |
| | Reform | C S Bielby | 3,172 | 39.92 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,532 | 19.28 | −1.60 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 68 | 0.85 | −0.45 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,944 | 93.92 | +2.12 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,458 | | |

### 1922 election

1922 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Holland | 4,413 | 59.80 | +2.10 |
| | Reform | John Menzies | 2,872 | 38.91 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,541 | 20.88 | +4.56 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 94 | 1.27 | +0.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,379 | 91.80 | −1.31 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,038 | | |

### 1919 election

1919 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Holland | 3,545 | 57.70 | |
| | Liberal | Denis Quinlan O'Brien | 2,542 | 41.38 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,003 | 16.32 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 56 | 0.91 | −0.45 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,143 | 93.11 | +11.81 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,597 | | |

### 1914 election

1914 general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | James Colvin | 3,594 | 67.00 |
| | Reform | George Powell | 1,399 | 26.08 |
| | Social Democrat | Hugh Gillen | 371 | 6.91 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,195 | 40.92 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 73 | 1.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,364 | 81.30 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,597 | |

### 1899 election

1899 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent Liberal | James Colvin | 2,846 | 55.37 |
| | Liberal | Patrick O'Regan | 2,294 | 44.63 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 552 | 10.74 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,140 | 87.68 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,862 | |

### 1893 election

1893 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Roderick McKenzie | 1,817 | 53.11 |
| | Independent | Eugene O'Conor | 1,604 | 46.89 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 213 | 6.23 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,421 | 84.39 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,054 | |

### 1879 election

1879 general election: Buller :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Bickerton Fisher | 410 | 55.56 |
| | Independent | Joseph Henry | 328 | 44.44 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 82 | 11.11 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 19 | 2.51 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 757 | 66.00 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,147 | |