Omata (New Zealand electorate)

Omata was a New Zealand electorate. It was located in Taranaki and based on the township of Omata. One of the original 24 electorates, it existed from 1853 to 1870.

Population centres

The Omata electorate was named after Omata in Taranaki, a locality just south-west of New Plymouth. The electorate's boundary was a straight line that started at the coast between Omata and New Plymouth, and it proceeded in a south-east direction to near where Patea is located.[1] Population centres located in the electorate included Ōpunake, Manaia, Hāwera, and Eltham.[1] In the 1870 electoral redistribution, the Omata electorate was abolished. The electorate's area was effectively increased towards the east (the easternmost boundary reached the Whanganui River), gaining a large area from the Grey and Bell electorate, and the name changed to Egmont after Mount Egmont, the original European name of Mount Taranaki.[2]

History

The Omata electorate was one of the twenty-four original electorates, used in New Zealand's first general election.[3] In 1853, William Crompton was returned elected unopposed.[4] In the 1855 election, Alfred William East beat the incumbent by a six-vote margin.[5] East resigned in March 1860 before the end of his term when he accepted a government appointment.[6] In the resulting by-election on 16 April 1860, James Crowe Richmond was returned unopposed.[7]

Members of Parliament

The following Members of Parliament represented the Omata electorate:[3]

Election	Winner
1853 election		William Crompton
1855 election		Alfred William East
1860 by-election		James Crowe Richmond
1860 election
1865 by-election		Francis Gledhill
1866 election		Arthur Atkinson[8]
1868 by-election		Charles Brown
1870 by-election		Frederic Carrington

Election results

1853 election

William Crompton was returned unopposed.[4]

1855 election

1855 general election: Omata[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Alfred William East	?
	Independent	William Crompton	?
Majority			6
Registered electors			105[9]

1860 by-election

James Crowe Richmond was returned unopposed.[7]

1868 by-election

Charles Brown was returned unopposed (see 1868 by-election).

1870 by-election

1870 Omata by-election[10][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Frederic Carrington	42	54.55
	Independent	Captain E. Carthew	35	45.45
Majority			7	9.09
Turnout			77

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, pp. 28, 32.
2. McRobie 1989, pp. 38f.
3. Wilson 1985, p. 269.
4. "The Southern Cross". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. X, no. 650. 20 September 1853. p. 2. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
5. "The Elections". Taranaki Herald. Vol. IV, no. 173. 21 November 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
6. Scholefield 1940, p. 226.
7. "Election". Taranaki Herald. Vol. VIII, no. 403. 21 April 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
8. Cyclopedia Company Limited (1908). "Former Members Of The House Of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
9. McRobie 1989, p. 29.
10. "Election". Taranaki Herald. 27 April 1870.
11. "Election". Taranaki Herald. 23 April 1870.

References

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). Vol. I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.