Te Tai Tonga

Te Tai Tonga
Single-member Māori constituency
for the New Zealand House of Representatives
Outline map
Location of Te Tai Tongawithin South Island, Chatham Islands and parts of Wellington
RegionSouth Island, Chatham Islands and parts of Wellington
Current constituency
Created1996
Current MPTākuta Ferris
PartyTe Pāti Māori
List MPRino Tirikatene (Labour)

Te Tai Tonga (lit.'The South Coast') is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was established for the 1996 general election, replacing Southern Maori. It covers all of the South Island, Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and parts of both Wellington City and the Hutt Valley. The current MP for Te Tai Tonga is Tākuta Ferris of Te Pāti Māori.

Population centres

Chatham Islands farm

Te Tai Tonga is geographically by far the largest of the seventy-one electorates of New Zealand, covering all of the South Island, Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, all the islands in the Southern Ocean and a large part of the Wellington urban area, namely Wellington City as far as Churton Park, and Lower Hutt City south of Naenae and west of Wainuiomata. Besides Wellington, the main centres in Te Tai Tonga are Nelson, Christchurch, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Invercargill.

As a Māori electorate, Te Tai Tonga overlaps with the sixteen South Island electorates, as well as Rongotai and Wellington Central, and parts of Ōhāriu and Hutt South.

Te Tai Tonga's size was marginally decreased after a review of boundaries in 2007, when the suburbs of Naenae and Taitā were moved into Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. The 2013/14 redistribution did not further alter the boundaries of the electorate. The 2019/20 redistribution adjusted the north-east boundary to align with the northern boundary of Hutt South.

The main iwi of Te Tai Tonga are Ngāi Tahu/Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha, and in the North Island, Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Ngāti Poneke, that latter of which is not iwi in the traditional sense, but an urban pan-tribal grouping. The Chatham Islands was invaded by members of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama, and their descendants live there today, alongside the indigenous Moriori.

History

Eastbourne, Lower Hutt
Otakou marae, near Dunedin

Te Tai Tonga was established for the 1996 general election, replacing Southern Maori which had existed since the first Māori elections in 1868. The 1996 election was the first to use the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system and a new formula for calculating the number of electorates, which resulted in an increase in the number of Māori electorates from four to five.

The main difference involves the separation of the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay into seats wholly located in the North Island—initially Te Puku O Te Whenua, and since 1999 Ikaroa-Rāwhiti.

Whetū Tirikatene-Sullivan had served as Southern Maori's representative in Parliament since 1967—during the terms of five different governments and nine Prime Ministers. However, the New Zealand First Party challenger Tū Wyllie tipped her out of the seat in 1996, as sixty years of Labour Party control of the Māori electorates ended.

In 1999 New Zealand First lost its electoral footing after an unpopular term in office, firstly as junior government-coalition partner and then following an internal split in the party, with much of the party's original parliamentary caucus leaving the party ("waka-jumping") to prop up the government of Jenny Shipley (although Wyllie himself did not join the breakaway group). Along with a drop in the New Zealand First vote from thirteen to four percent nationwide came the return of the Māori electorates to Labour and the election of Mahara Okeroa to Parliament as the Labour Party MP for Te Tai Tonga.

A political difference of opinion between many Māori and the Labour Party emerged in 2004, when Helen Clark's Labour government introduced the Seabed and Foreshore Bill, claiming the coastline for the Crown and in the process providing the catalyst for the launch of the Māori Party (7 July 2004), which went on to win four of the seven Māori seats (but not the plurality of the party votes cast in those seats) at the 2005 general election. Te Tai Tonga did not form part of this electoral sea-change, with Okeroa's majority slashed from 8,000 to around 2,500 despite his facing two fewer contenders than in 2002.

Rahui Katene won the electorate for the Māori Party in the 2008 election, defeating the incumbent. She was defeated after a single term; Rino Tirikatene, the nephew of Tirikatene-Sullivan, won the electorate in 2011 with a margin of 1,475 votes. He was returned in the 2014 and 2017 elections with increased majorities.

Members of Parliament

Key

  NZ First   Labour   Te Pāti Māori   Green

Election Winner
1996 election Tu Wyllie
1999 election Mahara Okeroa
2002 election
2005 election
2008 election Rahui Katene
2011 election Rino Tirikatene
2014 election
2017 election
2020 election
2023 election Tākuta Ferris

List MPs

Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Te Tai Tonga electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Election Winner
2005 election Metiria Turei
2023 election Rino Tirikatene

Election results

2023 election

2023 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Te Pāti Māori Tākuta Ferris 12,828 46.80 +21.39 6,447 22.69 +14.00
Labour Red XN Rino Tirikatene 10,004 36.49 –12.39 10,396 36.59 –22.11
Legalise Cannabis Rebecca Rae Robin 2,852 10.40 +4.48 479 1.68 –0.43
Independent Geoffrey Karena Fuimaono Puhi 816 2.97
Green   4,605 16.20 +4.82
National   2,453 8.63 +2.99
NZ First   1,557 5.48 +2.08
ACT   659 2.31 –0.44
Opportunities   549 1.93 +0.10
New Zealand Loyal   471 1.65
Freedoms NZ   154 0.54
NewZeal   122 0.42
DemocracyNZ   68 0.28
Animal Justice   50 0.17
Leighton Baker Party   50 0.17
Women's Rights   22 0.07
New Nation   12 0.42
New Conservatives   11 0.38 –0.31
Informal votes 910 302
Total Valid votes 27,410 28,409
Te Pāti Māori gain from Labour Majority 2,824 10.30 –13.17

2020 election

2020 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Labour Green tickY Rino Tirikatene 14,277 48.88 +4.44 17,543 58.70 +2.90
Māori Party Tākuta Ferris 7,422 25.41 +4.44 2,596 8.69 +0.29
Green Ariana Paretutanganui-Tamati 3,324 11.38 –13.12 3,448 11.54 +3.42
Legalise Cannabis Anituhia McDonald 1,732 5.92 –1.00 631 2.11 +0.95
Advance NZ Matiu Thoms 965 3.30 635 2.12
New Conservative Raymond Tuhaka 606 2.07 208 0.69 +0.61
National   1,685 5.64 –6.83
NZ First   1,030 3.45 –4.35
ACT   822 2.75 +2.55
Opportunities   547 1.83
Vision NZ   130 0.43
ONE   98 0.33
Outdoors   58 0.19 +0.14
Sustainable NZ   15 0.05
Heartland   7 0.02
Social Credit   7 0.02
TEA   5 0.01
Informal votes 879 417
Total Valid votes 29,205 29,882
Labour hold Majority 6,855 23.47 +3.52

2017 election

2017 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Labour Green tickY Rino Tirikatene 10,416 44.44 +2.67 13,484 55.80 +19.1
Green Metiria Turei 5,740 24.50 +8.81 1,963 8.12 –8.29
Māori Party Mei Reedy-Taare 4,915 20.97 –3.22 2,030 8.40 –2.79
Legalise Cannabis Emma-Jane Mihaere Kingi 1,625 6.93 +1.96 280 1.16 –0.20
National   3,014 12.47 –2.45
NZ First   1,926 7.80 –5.02
Opportunities   944 3.91
Mana   123 0.51 –4.42
Ban 1080   58 0.24 –0.24
ACT   48 0.20 +0.03
People's Party   20 0.82
Conservative   18 0.075 –0.68
Outdoors   11 0.046
United Future   10 0.041 –0.049
Internet   6 0.025 –4.905
Democrats   5 0.021 –0.5
Informal votes 738 226
Total Valid votes 24,166 23,434
Labour hold Majority 4,676 19.95 +2.37

2014 election

2014 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Labour Green tickY Rino Tirikatene 8,445 41.77 +1.15 7,607 36.70 –1.82
Māori Party Ngaire Button 4,891 24.19 –7.60 2,319 11.19 –2.30
Green Dora Roimata Langsbury 3,173 15.69 +0.45 3,402 16.41 +0.59
Mana Georgina Beyer 1,996 9.87 +1.73
Legalise Cannabis Emma-Jane Mihaere Kingi 1,005 4.97 +0.76 282 1.36 +0.06
National   2,977 14.92 –0.56
NZ First   2,657 12.82 +4.06
Internet Mana   1,021 4.93 –0.99
Conservative   153 0.74 +0.06
Ban 1080   99 0.48 +0.48
ACT   35 0.17 –0.01
United Future   18 0.09 –0.15
Democrats   15 0.07 –0.02
Civilian   9 0.04 +0.04
Independent Coalition   8 0.04 +0.04
Focus   3 0.01 +0.01
Informal votes 545 125
Total Valid votes 20,220 20,730
Labour hold Majority 3,554 17.58 +8.75

2011 election

2011 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Labour Rino Tirikatene 6,786 40.62 –1.18 6,791 38.52 –11.06
Māori Party Red XN Rahui Katene 5,311 31.79 –15.51 2,379 13.49 –8.76
Green Dora Roimata Langsbury 2,546 15.24 +4.34 2,789 15.82 +8.61
Mana Clinton Dearlove 1,360 8.14 +8.14 1,043 5.92 +5.92
Legalise Cannabis Emma-Jane Mihaere Kingi 703 4.21 +4.21 230 1.30 +0.26
National   2,631 14.92 +3.78
NZ First   1,544 8.76 +3.20
Conservative   120 0.68 +0.68
United Future   43 0.24 +0.05
ACT   32 0.18 –0.48
Democrats   16 0.09 +0.06
Alliance   7 0.04 –0.03
Libertarianz   4 0.02 +0.003
Informal votes 840 268
Total Valid votes 16,706 17,629
Labour gain from Māori Party Majority 1,475 8.83 +14.34

Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 31,933

2008 election

2008 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Māori Party Rahui Katene 9,011 47.30 4,414 22.26
Labour Red XN Mahara Okeroa 7,962 41.80 9,833 49.58
Green Dora Roimata Langsbury 2,076 10.90 1,430 7.21
National   2,210 11.14
NZ First   1,102 5.56
Legalise Cannabis   207 1.04
Bill and Ben   158 0.80
ACT   131 0.66
Progressive   122 0.62
Family Party   76 0.38
Kiwi   69 0.35
United Future   38 0.19
Alliance   14 0.07
Workers Party   13 0.07
Democrats   6 0.03
Libertarianz   4 0.02
Pacific   4 0.02
RAM   2 0.01
RONZ   0 0.00
Informal votes 656 261
Total Valid votes 19,049 19,833
Māori Party gain from Labour Majority 1,049 5.51

2005 election

2005 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
Labour Green tickY Mahara Okeroa 9,015 47.23 –15.94 11,485 57.89
Māori Party Monte Ohia 6,512 34.12 +34.12 3,481 17.55
Green Metiria Turei 2,296 12.03 1,283 6.47
Progressive Russell Caldwell 705 3.69 169 0.85
Destiny Maru Samuel 559 2.93 235 1.18
National   1,462 7.37
NZ First   1,240 6.25
United Future   211 1.06
Legalise Cannabis   159 0.80
ACT   58 0.29
Alliance   14 0.07
Christian Heritage   9 0.05
Democrats   8 0.04
Family Rights   7 0.04
Libertarianz   4 0.02
One NZ   4 0.02
99 MP   3 0.02
Direct Democracy   3 0.02
RONZ   3 0.02
Informal votes 655 322
Total Valid votes 19,087 19,838
Labour hold Majority 2,503 13.11 –38.99

1999 election

Refer to Candidates in the New Zealand general election 1999 by electorate#Te Tai Tonga for a list of candidates.

1996 election

1996 general election: Te Tai Tonga
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A Green tickY or Red XN denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
NZ First Tutekawa Wyllie 7,657 37.99 6,576 32.47
Labour Red XN Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan 7,372 36.58 7,167 35.39
Alliance Hone Kaiwai 1,916 9.51 2,290 11.31
Independent Eva Rickard 1,220 6.05
National Cliff Bedwell 1,115 5.53 1,732 8.55
Independent Honty Whaanga-Morris 873 4.33
Legalise Cannabis   896 4.42
Mana Māori   667 3.29
Christian Coalition   441 2.18
ACT   232 1.15
United NZ   52 0.26
McGillicuddy Serious   37 0.18
Te Tawharau 35 0.17
Progressive Green 33 0.16
Animals First   28 0.14
Green Society 22 0.11
Natural Law   12 0.06
Superannuitants & Youth 9 0.04
Ethnic Minority Party 7 0.03
Conservatives 5 0.02
Libertarianz   4 0.02
Advance New Zealand 3 0.01
Asia Pacific United 2 0.01
Informal votes 279 182
Total Valid votes 20,153 20,250
NZ First win new seat Majority 285 1.41

43°36′00″S 172°00′00″E / 43.6000°S 172.0000°E / -43.6000; 172.0000


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