Electorate changes

Press, 8 November 1986, Page 3

Electorate changes

Wellington reporter

Substantial changes are made to the electorates on the outskirts of Christchurch, but virtually no change to the mid-city seats of Sydenham, Christchurch Central, and Fendalton.

St Albans has contracted south from Prestons Road to Briggs Road, but picks up Mairehau from the Avon electorrate. Apart from losing Mairehau,. Avon is much the same as before.

Yaldhurst has picked up the area between Blenheim Road and Wigram Road south of the railway line, including Wigram R.N.Z.A.F. Base, but has lost an area between Harewood Road and Memorial Avenue west of Charlton Street.

The biggest losses of area among the Christchurch seats are in Lyttelton and Christchurch North.

Lyttelton has lost all that part of Mount Herbert County it had east and south of Lyttelton Harbour, and its boundary is now Dyers Pass Christchurch North has picked up part of Yaldhurst electorate near the Russley golf course, but its western boundary has been shifted from Templars Islands to the Styx River. It has lost Belfast, Kaianga, Stewart’s Gully, Spencerville, and Ouruhia to the Selwyn electorate. Selwyn electorate has suffered drastic changes. It has lost everything south of the Rakaia River and everything south of Selwyn River east of the Main South Road. It has also lost that part of Ellesmere County east of Springston and south of Lincoln.

Selwyn now includes all Banks Peninsula, having taken the part of Mount Herbert County that used to be part of the Lyttelton

electorate; the area. between the Selwyn River and the Waimakariri River up to Arthur’s Pass; most of Eyre County and some of Oxford County north of the Waimakariri; and the area round Belfast that used to be part of Christchurch North.

Rangiora electorate still includes Kaiapoi, Rangiora, and Oxford but has lost a lot of rural land surrounding them. It has been extended north to include Kaikoura and include Kekerengu, reaching nearly to Ward. The result of these changes seems to be to make all the Christchurch seats except Fendalton safer for Labour, including the marginal Labour seat of Yaldhurst. The contraction of Selwyn and the extension of Rangiora northwards would seem to make both these National seats more marginal than before.