Wellington West (New Zealand electorate)

The 1931 New Zealand census had been cancelled due to the Great Depression, so the 1937 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth into account. The increasing population imbalance between the North and South Islands had slowed, and only one electorate seat was transferred from south to north. Five electorates were abolished, one former electorate ({{NZ electorate link|Onehunga}}) was re-established, and four electorates were created for the first time, including Wellington West.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|pp=87–92}}

By area, the Wellington West electorate was mostly made up from what previously belonged to the {{NZ electorate link|Otaki}} electorate. By population, it mostly gained areas from the {{NZ electorate link|Wellington Suburbs}} electorate.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|pp=86, 90}} Settlements within the electorate's area were Mākara and Mākara Beach.{{sfn|McRobie|1989|p=90}}

Wellington West existed from the 1938 election for two parliamentary terms until 1946.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=167}}

Catherine Stewart was the first representative. She won the election in 1938, when she defeated long-standing MP Robert Wright who had previously represented the Wellington Suburbs electorate.{{cite web

|title = The General Election, 1938

|url = https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1939-I.2.3.2.36

|publisher = National Library

|access-date = 8 February 2012

|page = 5

|year = 1939

}}{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=140}} Stewart was the second woman to be elected to Parliament after Elizabeth McCombs.{{DNZB|Nicholls|Roberta |4s48|Stewart, Catherine Campbell|10 November 2013}} She was defeated in the next ({{NZ election link|1943}}) by Charles Bowden.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|pp=184, 236}} At the end of the term in 1946, the electorate was abolished, and Bowden moved to {{NZ electorate link|Karori}}.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=184}}

Key

{{Party index link|New Zealand Labour Party}}

{{Party index link|New Zealand National Party}}

{{Election box begin | title=1943 general election: Wellington West

{{cite web

|title = The General Election, 1943

|url = https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&cl=search&d=AJHR1944-I.2.2.5.37

|publisher = National Library

|access-date = 28 March 2014

|page = 11

|year = 1944

}}{{cite news |title=Results from all Electorates |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19430927.2.79 |access-date=28 March 2014 |work=Evening Post |date=27 September 1943 |volume=CXXXVI |issue=76 |page=6}}{{cite news |title=City Nominations |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19430909.2.84.2 |access-date=28 March 2014 |work=Evening Post |date=9 September 1943 |volume=CXXXVI |issue=61 |page=9}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

|party = New Zealand National Party

|candidate = Charles Bowden

|votes = 7,625

|percentage = 46.80

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = New Zealand Labour Party

|candidate = Catherine Stewart

|votes = 6,442

|percentage = 39.54

|change = -13.38

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = People's Movement (New Zealand)

|candidate = Clive Drummond

|votes = 1,050

|percentage = 6.44

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = Democratic Labour Party (New Zealand)

|candidate = Stevenson McDougall

|votes = 1,042

|percentage = 6.40

|change =

}}

{{Election box majority

|votes = 1,183

|percentage = 7.26

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout

|votes = 16,293

|percentage = 90.51

|change = +2.76

}}

{{Election box Registered electors

|reg. electors = 18,002

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1938 general election: Wellington West{{cite web |title = The General Election, 1938 |url = https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1939-I.2.3.2.36 |publisher = National Library |access-date = 8 February 2012 |pages = 1–6 |year = 1939}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

|party = New Zealand Labour Party

|candidate = Catherine Stewart

|votes = 8,089

|percentage = 52.92

|change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

|party = Independent politician

|candidate = Robert Wright{{refn|group=nb|Wright was supported by the National Party.}}

|votes = 7,133

|percentage = 46.66

|change =

}}

{{Election box informal

|votes = 64

|percentage = 0.42

|change =

}}

{{Election box majority

|votes = 956

|percentage = 6.25

|change =

}}

{{Election box turnout

|votes = 15,286

|percentage = 87.75

|change =

}}

{{Election box Registered electors

|reg. electors = 17,419

}}

{{Election box end}}

Table footnotes:

{{reflist|group=nb}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |title=Electoral Atlas of New Zealand |last=McRobie |first=Alan |year=1989 |publisher=GP Books |location=Wellington |isbn=0-477-01384-8}}
• {{cite book |author-link=Guy Scholefield |last=Scholefield |first=Guy |title=New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 | edition = 3rd | orig-year=First published in 1913 | year = 1950 |publisher = Govt. Printer |location = Wellington}}
• {{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}

{{Historic electorates of New Zealand | state=collapsed}}

Category:Historical electorates of New Zealand

Category:Politics of the Wellington Region

Category:1938 establishments in New Zealand

Category:1946 disestablishments in New Zealand