title: Kaipara (New Zealand electorate)
text: # Kaipara (New Zealand electorate)
  
  Kaipara is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate north of Auckland that existed from 1902 to 1946, and from 1978 to 1996.
  
  ## Population centres
  
  The Representation Act 1900 had increased the membership of the House of Representatives from general electorates 70 to 76, and this was implemented through the 1902 electoral redistribution. In 1902, changes to the country quota affected the three-member electorates in the four main centres. The tolerance between electorates was increased to ±1,250 so that the Representation Commissions (since 1896, there had been separate commissions for the North and South Islands) could take greater account of communities of interest. These changes proved very disruptive to existing boundaries, and six electorates were established for the first time, including Kaipara, and two electorates that previously existed were re-established.
  
  The electorate was rural and located north of Auckland city, in the North Auckland region.
  
  ## History
  
  The electorate was created for the 1902 election, and abolished in 1946. The first representative was the independent conservative Alfred Harding. In the 1905 election, Harding stood for the breakaway New Liberal Party, but was beaten by John Stallworthy of the Liberal Party.
  
  In the 1911 election, Stallworthy was beaten by Gordon Coates, who was Prime Minister from 1925 to 1928, and who held the electorate until he died in May 1943. As a (belated) wartime general election was to be held shortly, a by-election was postponed through the By-elections Postponement Act 1943, and Clifton Webb succeeded Coates at the general election in September 1943. When the Kaipara electorate was abolished in 1946, Webb successfully stood in the Rodney electorate.
  
  Kaipara was recreated in 1978, and again replaced by Rodney in 1996. Lockwood Smith then transferred to Rodney, and later became the Speaker of the House.
  
  ### Members of Parliament
  
  Key
  
  | Independent | Liberal | Reform |
  | - | - | - |
  | National | Ind. National |
  | Election | Winner |
  | 1902 election | Alfred Harding |
  | 1905 election | John Stallworthy |
  | 1908 election | John Stallworthy |
  | 1911 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1914 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1919 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1922 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1925 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1928 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1931 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1935 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1938 election | Gordon Coates |
  | 1943 election | Clifton Webb |
  | (electorate abolished 1946–1978, see Rodney) |||
  | 1978 election | Peter Wilkinson |
  | 1981 election | Peter Wilkinson |
  | 1984 election | Lockwood Smith |
  | 1987 election | Lockwood Smith |
  | 1990 election | Lockwood Smith |
  | 1993 election | Lockwood Smith |
  | (electorate abolished 1996, see Rodney) |||
  
  ## Election results
  
  ### 1943 election
  
  1943 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Independent National | Clifton Webb | 4,950 | 56.77 | |
  | | Labour | John Stewart | 2,171 | 24.90 | |
  | | Independent | Percy MacGregor Stewart | 1,597 | 18.31 | -21.33 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 45 | 0.51 | -0.18 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,779 | 31.87 | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,718 | | |
  
  ### 1938 election
  
  1938 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | National | Gordon Coates | 5,414 | 57.62 | +8.78 |
  | | Labour | Percy MacGregor Stewart | 3,725 | 39.64 | |
  | | Country Party | James Scott-Davidson | 257 | 2.74 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 65 | 0.69 | -0.74 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,689 | 17.98 | +14.87 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,461 | 92.85 | +3.17 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,190 | | |
  
  ### 1935 election
  
  1935 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 4,738 | 48.84 | -14.30 |
  | | Independent | William Grounds | 4,436 | 45.72 | |
  | | Democrat | John Caughley | 528 | 5.44 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 141 | 1.45 | +1.06 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 302 | 3.11 | -23.16 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,702 | 89.68 | +5.21 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,818 | | |
  
  ### 1931 election
  
  1931 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 5,008 | 63.14 | -2.52 |
  | | Country Party | Albert Edward Robinson | 2,924 | 36.86 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,084 | 26.27 | -5.04 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 23 | 0.29 | -1.10 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,955 | 84.47 | -3.38 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,418 | | |
  
  ### 1928 election
  
  1928 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 5,190 | 65.65 | -14.22 |
  | | Labour | Jim Barclay | 2,715 | 34.35 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 111 | 1.38 | -0.10 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,475 | 31.31 | -29.92 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,016 | 87.85 | -1.07 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,125 | | |
  
  ### 1925 election
  
  1925 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 6,307 | 79.87 | +14.42 |
  | | Labour | Bill Barnard | 1,472 | 18.64 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 117 | 1.48 | +0.15 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,835 | 61.23 | +28.98 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,896 | 89.82 | +0.04 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,790 | | |
  
  ### 1922 election
  
  1922 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 5,001 | 65.45 | -13.53 |
  | | Liberal | Robert Hornblow | 2,537 | 33.20 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 102 | 1.33 | -2.38 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,464 | 32.25 | -29.43 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,640 | 88.88 | +11.24 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,595 | | |
  
  ### 1919 election
  
  1919 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 4,214 | 78.98 | +19.77 |
  | | Labour | Alfred Gregory | 923 | 17.30 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 198 | 3.71 | +2.20 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,291 | 61.68 | +43.28 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,335 | 77.64 | -8.19 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,871 | | |
  
  ### 1914 election
  
  1914 general election: Kaipara :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Reform | Gordon Coates | 3,596 | 59.21 | +3.52 |
  | | Liberal | Richard Hoe | 2,478 | 40.79 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 92 | 1.51 | 1.29 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,118 | 18.40 | +6.80 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,074 | 85.83 | +7.63 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,076 | | |
  
  ### 1911 election
  
  1911 general election: Kaipara, Second ballot :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Independent | Gordon Coates | 2,744 | 55.69 | +19.32 |
  | | Liberal | John Stallworthy | 2,172 | 44.08 | -1.33 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 11 | 0.22 | -1.26 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 572 | 11.60 | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,927 | 78.20 | -2.22 |
  
  1911 general election: Kaipara, First ballot :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Liberal | John Stallworthy | 2,301 | 45.41 |
  | | Independent | Gordon Coates | 1,843 | 36.37 |
  | | Reform | Edward Thurlow Field | 848 | 16.73 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 75 | 1.48 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,067 | 80.42 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,300 | |
  