Napier is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives. It is named after the city of Napier, the main urban area within the electorate. The electorate was established for the 1861 election and has existed since. Neighbouring electorates are Tukituki to the south, East Coast to the north, and Taupō and Rangitīkei over the ranges to the west.
It has been held by Katie Nimon of the New Zealand National Party since the 2023 general election. It was held by Stuart Nash of the New Zealand Labour Party from the 2014 general election until 2023, when he did not stand for re-election.
Population centres
The electorate stretches from the Ngaruroro River in the south, up through all of the Wairoa District, to Muriwai, almost to the outskirts of Gisborne, and inland to Mātāwai at its northernmost point.
It includes the following population centres: Napier Pakowhai Waiohiki Omahu Sherenden Wairoa Frasertown Nūhaka Tuai
History The electorate was created in 1861, and preceded by the electorate from 1853 to 1860 and then briefly the electorate in 1860. It was a two-member electorate from 1876 to 1881.
The first representative was Henry Powning Stark, who won the election on 19 February 1861.
There were speculations that Douglas Maclean would be the conservative candidate in the Napier electorate in the upon his return from England instead of George Swan, but this was not correct. Swan contested the election and was successful against the Liberal Party candidate Michael Gannon. In the , Swan was challenged by the Liberal Party candidate Samuel Carnell, with the latter being successful against the incumbent. In the , Carnell in turn was challenged by the conservative candidate Douglas Maclean, with Maclean achieving a large majority against the incumbent.
In the , the incumbent, Bill Barnard of the Labour Party, was challenged by John Butler of the Reform Party as the official candidate of the United–Reform Coalition, and United Party member Vigor Brown as an Independent. Brown, at the time Mayor of Napier and previously MP for Napier for many years, withdrew just before the election, but too late for his name to be excluded from the ballot papers. The election was won by Barnard.
Labour's Russell Fairbrother was first elected in the electorate in the 2002 election, replacing long-standing MP Geoff Braybrooke. In the , Chris Tremain defeated Fairbrother, winning the electorate for the National Party for the first time since the . In the 2008 election, Tremain retained the electorate with an increased majority over Fairbrother. In the , Tremain beat Labour's Stuart Nash.
Tremain announced in September 2013 that he would not contest the 2014 election. Wayne Walford succeeded Tremain as National's candidate for the seat, Nash contested the electorate for the Labour Party for the second time, and Garth McVicar stood for the Conservative Party. McVicar had a high-profile due to his previous involvement with the Sensible Sentencing Trust lobby group. In July 2014, Walford was referred to Police by the Electoral Commission for breaching the Electoral Act by failing to display an authorisation statement on his campaign vehicle.
Nash had a majority of 3,850 votes over Walford. McVicar's 7,603 votes split the traditional National Party votes (24.8% of electors who gave their party vote to National gave their electorate vote to McVicar, a total of 4,465 votes), which helped Nash win the election.
In the 2025 boundary review, the electorate would gain the communities north of the Ngaruroro River from for the 2026 general election onwards.
Members of Parliament Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at a general election.
Key
single-member electorate
Election Winner 1861 election Henry Powning Stark William Colenso Donald McLean 1871 election
multi-member electorate
Election Winners 1875 election Donald McLean William Russell Fred Sutton
single-member electorate
Election Winner John Buchanan John Davies Ormond George Swan Samuel Carnell Douglas Maclean Alfred Fraser Vigor Brown Lew McIlvride John Mason Bill Barnard Tommy Armstrong Peter Tait Jim Edwards Gordon Christie Geoff Braybrooke Russell Fairbrother Chris Tremain Stuart Nash Katie Nimon
List MPs Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Napier electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
Election Winner Anne Tolley Donna Awatere Huata Russell Fairbrother
Election results 2026 election The next election will be held on 7 November 2026. Candidates for Napier are listed at Candidates in the 2026 New Zealand general election by electorate § Napier. Official results will be available after 27 November 2026.
2023 election
2020 election
2017 election
2014 election
2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 44,266
2008 election
2005 election
2002 election
1999 election
1996 election
1993 election
1990 election
1987 election
1984 election
1981 election
1978 election
1975 election
1972 election
1969 election
1966 election
1963 election
1960 election
1957 election
1954 election
1951 election
1949 election
1946 election
1943 election
1938 election
1935 election
1931 election
1928 election
1925 election
1922 election
1919 election
1914 election
1911 election
1908 election
1905 election
1902 election
1899 election
1893 election
1890 election
1877 by-election
1861 by-election
Table footnotes
Notes
References
External links 2020 electorate profile (now outdated), New Zealand Parliament