# Mid-Canterbury (New Zealand electorate)

Mid-Canterbury was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in rural Canterbury. It existed from 1928 to 1946 and was represented by six Members of Parliament, including Mary Grigg, the first woman National Party MP.

## Population centres

In the 1927 electoral redistribution, the North Island gained a further electorate from the South Island due to fast population growth. Five electorates were abolished, two former electorates were re-established, and three electorates, including Mid-Canterbury, were created for the first time. These changes came into effect with the 1928 election.

## History

The electorate existed from 1928 to 1946. David Jones was the first representative, winning the 1928 election by a wafer-thin majority of 55 votes (0.59%) against Jeremiah Connolly; he had previously held Kaiapoi and Ellesmere. Jones was defeated by Connolly in the 1931 election. Connolly died on 2 October 1935 and as this was only weeks prior to the 1935 election, the seat remained vacant and no by-election was called.
Horace Herring of the Labour Party won the 1935 election. At the next election in 1938, Herring was narrowly beaten by Arthur Grigg of the National Party. Grigg enlisted in the NZEF as a Major in World War II, and was killed in action in Libya on 29 November 1941. He was succeeded by his widow Mary Grigg at a 1942 by-election; she became the first woman National MP. But in June 1943 she remarried, to another National MP, William Polson, and resigned.
Mary Grigg was succeeded by Geoff Gerard at the 1943 general election. He served until the end of the term in 1946 when the electorate was abolished, and successfully stood in the Ashburton electorate instead.

## Members of Parliament

Key
Reform  Independent Liberal  Labour  National
| Election | Winner |
| 1928 election | David Jones |
| 1931 election | Jeremiah Connolly |
| 1935 election | Horace Herring |
| 1938 election | Arthur Grigg |
| 1942 by-election | Mary Grigg |
| 1943 election | Geoff Gerard |
| (Electorate abolished in 1946; see Ashburton) |||

## Election results
### 1943 election

1943 general election: Mid-Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Geoff Gerard | 5,552 | 50.75 | |
| | Labour | David Barnes | 4,918 | 44.96 | |
| | Democratic Labour | Harry Bates | 376 | 3.43 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 92 | 0.84 | +0.54 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 634 | 5.79 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,938 | 93.18 | −1.95 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,738 | | |

### 1942 by-election

1942 Mid-Canterbury by-election: Mid-Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Mary Grigg | unopposed | | |

### 1938 election

1938 general election: Mid-Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National | Arthur Grigg | 5,504 | 50.18 | |
| | Labour | Horace Herring | 5,430 | 49.50 | +6.33 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 34 | 0.30 | −0.18 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 74 | 0.67 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,968 | 95.13 | +1.30 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,529 | | |

### 1935 election

1935 general election: Mid-Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Horace Herring | 4,422 | 43.17 | |
| | Reform | James Carr | 3,960 | 38.66 | |
| | Democrat | William Woods | 1,861 | 18.16 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 50 | 0.48 | −0.23 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 462 | 4.51 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,243 | 93.83 | +4.71 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,916 | | |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Mid-Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Liberal | Jeremiah Connolly | 4,437 | 47.68 | +3.51 |
| | Reform | David Jones | 4,137 | 44.17 | +2.63 |
| | Independent Labour | Hiram Hunter | 310 | 3.33 | |
| | Independent | Robert Wallace Wightman | 258 | 2.77 | +0.19 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 67 | 0.71 | +0.16 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 136 | 1.46 | +0.87 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,373 | 89.12 | −3.48 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,517 | | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Mid-Canterbury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Reform | David Jones | 4,137 | 44.17 |
| | United | Jeremiah Connolly | 4,082 | 43.58 |
| | Labour | Morgan Williams | 905 | 9.66 |
| | Independent | Robert Wallace Wightman | 242 | 2.58 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 52 | 0.55 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 55 | 0.59 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,418 | 92.61 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,170 | |