Awarua (New Zealand electorate)
Awarua was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate from 1881 to 1996. 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 22 new electorates being formed, including Awarua, and  two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries. This electorate was in the rural part of Southland. In its original form, it covered the area around the town of Invercargill, which had its own electorate. Bluff fell into Awarua, and all of Stewart Island / Rakiura. On the mainland, Awarua had taken area from (which was abolished) and from (which moved to the east and north). Stewart Island had previously belonged to . History. The electorate was established in 1881. It was represented by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward from 1887  to 1919. Philip De La Perrelle announced his retirement due to ill health in August 1935. He died within days of the and was succeeded by James Hargest. In the 1996 election, the first MMP election, the electorate was absorbed into the adjacent Invercargill electorate. Members of Parliament. Key Election results. 1963 election. 1935 election. Table footnotes: 1931 election. 1928 election. 1925 election. 1922 election. 1919 election. 1914 election. 1911 election. 1908 election. 1905 election. 1902 election. 1899 election. 1896 election. 1893 election. 1890 election. 1887 election. 1884 election.