Bay of Plenty (New Zealand electorate)

Bay of Plenty is a New Zealand electoral division returning one member to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current representative is Tom Rutherford of the National Party, first elected at the.

Population centres
In the 1892 electoral redistribution, population shift to the North Island required the transfer of one seat from the South Island to the north. The resulting ripple effect saw every electorate established in 1890 have its boundaries altered, and eight electorates were established for the first time, including Bay of Plenty.

Bay of Plenty was created for the change to the mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation voting system; it was carved out of parts of the old seats of Kaimai, Tarawera and Eastern Bay of Plenty. Its original incarnation was based mostly around Whakatane and Opotiki districts, with the remaining population coming from Te Puke and parts of greater Tauranga. The current Bay of Plenty electorate is wrapped around Tauranga city, but does not include the city. Up until the 2019–20 review, it included Matakana Island.

Prior to the 2007 boundary review, it did not extend to the western side of Tauranga or to Matakana Island. Instead it comprised a section of the central Bay of Plenty coast, from the eastern periphery of the Tauranga urban area to outside the main populated part of Whakatane. It included the towns of Te Puke, Edgecumbe and Papamoa. Rapid population growth around Tauranga has driven considerable boundary change at each review. For the 2008 election, the eastern boundary moved far westwards to the eastern fringe of Te Puke, in the process abandoning sections of the central coast to the Rotorua and East Coast seats.

History
Bay of Plenty has been a safe seat for National's Tony Ryall, who has been returned easily at every election since the seat's re-establishment in. The upper central North Island is an area where New Zealand First has done well, frequently getting a higher vote share in seats in both the Bay of Plenty region and in the Waikato than it does nationally.

The earlier Bay of Plenty electorate from 1893 to 1978 was held by William Kelly 1893–1896, William Herries 1896–1908, William MacDonald 1908–1920, Kenneth Williams 1920–1935, Gordon Hultquist 1935–1941, Bill Sullivan 1941–1957, Percy Allen 1957–1975 and Duncan MacIntyre 1975–1978. Williams had the distinction of being returned unopposed in three general elections, 1922, 1925 and 1931; in 1928 he was opposed by Alexander Moncur for Labour.

Members of Parliament
Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Key

1 Died in office 2 Died of illness while on military service 3 Resigned during term

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

2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 46,546