North Shore (New Zealand electorate)

North Shore is a parliamentary electorate that returns one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for North Shore is Simon Watts of the National Party, who at the 2020 election was elected to succeed the retiring Maggie Barry, also of National.

Population centres
The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including North Shore.

The boundaries of the North Shore electorate were last adjusted for the first election held using the mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system in, when the number of general electorates decreased from 95 (1993) to 60 (1996), and the electorate expanded to the north into an area previously belonging to. No boundary adjustments were undertaken in the subsequent redistributions in 2002, 2007, and 2013/14.

North Shore stretches up the eastern coast of North Shore City in Auckland, starting in the south at Devonport and moving northwards to take in Lake Pupuke and the suburbs of Takapuna and Campbells Bay. North Shore is predominantly New Zealand European, and has an average income high above the national average, boasting some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

History
The seat has been contested at every election in New Zealand since 1946, and except for a single victory by future Labour Attorney-General Martyn Finlay in its first contest, has been safely held by the National Party ever since.

Wayne Mapp held the electorate from until his retirement in 2011. He was succeeded by Maggie Barry, who won the and s.

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

Key

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

2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 48,963

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