Tāmaki Makaurau

Tāmaki Makaurau (te reo Māori name for Auckland) is a New Zealand parliamentary Māori electorate returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It was first formed for the. The electorate covers central and southern Auckland, and southern parts of western Auckland. It derives its name from the Māori-language name for Auckland; Makaurau is a descriptive epithet referring to the value and desirability of the land.

It was first held by Labour's John Tamihere, for one term. It was held by Pita Sharples of the Māori Party for three terms from until his retirement in 2014. Peeni Henare of the Labour Party was elected in 2014 and served until his defeat in the by Takutai Moana Kemp of Te Pāti Māori.

Population centres
In its current boundaries, Tāmaki Makaurau contains the west coast of the Auckland Region between Te Henga / Bethells Beach and the mouth of the Manukau Harbour, parts of West Auckland east of the Oratia Stream and Te Wai-o-Pareira / Henderson Creek (excluding Te Atatū Peninsula), the entire Auckland isthmus, Waiheke Island, East Auckland and South Auckland as far as Takanini (including Māngere, Ōtara, Pakuranga and Manurewa). It does not contain Great Barrier or Rangitoto islands, as they are in Te Tai Tokerau; Papakura is in Hauraki-Waikato.

In the review of boundaries in 2007, the southern part of Manurewa shifted from Tāmaki Makaurau to the Hauraki-Waikato electorate. The 2013/14 redistribution did not further alter the boundaries of the electorate, but the 2020 boundary review made small expansions for Tāmaki Makaurau to the electorate's north and south, as well as incorporating the islands Waiheke and Ponui. To the north, Glendene and Te Atatū South are now included, while the southern portion now incorporates Flat Bush and Takanini.

Tribal areas
The main iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau are Ngāti Whātua, Kawerau a Maki, Tainui, Ngāti Pāoa, Wai-O-Hua and Ngāti Rehua, though a pan-Māori organisation called Ngāti Akarana exists for urbanised Māori with no knowledge of their actual iwi; and, through a population trend whereby many rural Māori moved to the cities, the largest iwi affiliation in the seat are Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Waikato and Ngāti Maniapoto, all iwi local to other areas of New Zealand.

History
Tāmaki Makaurau derives its name from the Māori-language name for Auckland, meaning "Tāmaki desired by many", in reference to the desirability of its natural resources and geography.

Tāmaki Makaurau was formed for the from the northern part of the Hauraki electorate. John Tamihere of the Labour Party was the representative for Hauraki, and he also won the first election in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate in 2002. Tamihere spent his six-year parliamentary career dogged by controversy that often overshadowed his work as a minister and, at the 2005 election came ten percent behind Māori Party co-leader Pita Sharples. Because Tamihere had chosen not to seek a list placing, his parliamentary career was terminated. Sharples remained the current representative for the electorate until his retirement, when the Labour's Peeni Henare won the seat.

Members of Parliament for Tāmaki Makaurau
Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at a general election.

Key

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

1Wall was elected from the party list in April 2011 following the resignation of Darren Hughes.

2Jones resigned from Parliament on 22 May 2014.

3Davidson was elected from the party list in November 2015 following the resignation of Russel Norman.

2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 35,347