Wellington Central is a New Zealand electorate, returning a single member to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Wellington Central is Tamatha Paul of the Green Party. She has held this position since the 2023 general election.
The electorate will be abolished ahead of the 2026 general election.
Population centres From 1890 until 1905, the four main centres of New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) were represented by three-member electorates. The City Single Electorates Act 1903 divided those electorates, effective from the end of the 15th Parliament. The City of Wellington electorate was split into the Wellington East, Wellington Central, and Wellington North electorates. Wellington Central was focused on the city's central business district and surrounding suburbs.
As of 2020, Wellington Central covered the central city and its immediate suburban periphery from Karori in the west to the summit of Mount Victoria in the east, and southwards to a boundary with the Rongotai electorate near Wellington Hospital. The northern boundary with Ōhāriu ran through Wilton and between Thorndon and Wadestown (which was in Wellington Central until 2014). From 1996 until 1999, its boundaries extended further north to include the suburbs of Ngaio and Khandallah.
Wellington Central has one of the most affluent and well-educated constituencies in New Zealand. It is home to many government agencies, as well as to the New Zealand Parliament Buildings and to two universities.
History Wellington Central was established in 1905 when the multi-member urban electorate City of Wellington was replaced by three new seats: Wellington East, Wellington North and Wellington Central. A prominent holder of the seat was Labour Party leader Peter Fraser, who was Prime Minister from 1940 to 1949.
The electorate was abolished in 1993, when a redistribution moved its boundary west, replaced by Wellington-Karori. Three years later, Wellington Central was recreated with a larger catchment as one of the 65 electorates used in the 1996 election. ACT New Zealand leader Richard Prebble won the electorate following National Party leader Jim Bolger's endorsement of Prebble over National candidate Mark Thomas, in order for the new ACT party to get into parliament. This election was featured in the documentary film Campaign directed by Tony Sutorius.
Labour candidates Marian Hobbs and Grant Robertson held the seat from 1999 until 2023, when it was won by Green Party candidate Tamatha Paul.
The 2025 boundary review required a reduction in North Island electorates by one to reflect nationwide population shifts. The three Wellington City electorates (Rongotai, Wellington Central and Ōhāriu) were all underpopulated. All were abolished. The population of Wellington Central was redistributed to and .
Members of Parliament Key
Election Winner Francis Fisher Robert Fletcher rowspan=9 Peter Fraser rowspan=3 Charles Chapman rowspan=2 Frank Kitts rowspan=4 Dan Riddiford rowspan=3 Ken Comber rowspan=4 Fran Wilde Chris Laidlaw (electorate abolished 1993–1996, see ) Richard Prebble rowspan=3 Marian Hobbs rowspan=5 Grant Robertson Tamatha Paul
List MPs Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Wellington Central electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections. Election Winner Richard Prebble Stephen Franks Sue Kedgley Mark Blumsky Sue Kedgley Sue Kedgley Heather Roy 2013 Paul Foster-Bell1 James Shaw Paul Foster-Bell James Shaw 2018 Nicola Willis2 James Shaw Nicola Willis Brooke van Velden 1Foster-Bell was elected from the party list in May 2013 following the resignation of Jackie Blue. 2Willis was elected from the party list in April 2018 following the resignation of Steven Joyce.
Election results 2023 election
2020 election
2017 election
2014 election
2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 48,316
2008 election
2005 election
1999 election The National party did not stand a candidate in this election because of the events of the 1996 Wellington Central election where then leader Prime Minister Jim Bolger withdrew support for National’s candidate Mark Thomas just before the election in preference for Act leader Richard Prebble.
The absence of a National candidate in this election did not help Richard Prebble and he lost the seat to new Labour candidate Marian Hobbs.
1996 election The 1996 election, the first under the new electoral system MMP, saw ACT candidate and former Labour Cabinet Minister Richard Prebble compete against former National Party Wellington-Karori MP Pauline Gardiner now standing for United New Zealand, the National party candidate Mark Thomas, Labour's Alick Shaw and Danna Glendining for the Alliance.
The election campaign saw Prime Minister Jim Bolger endorse Richard Prebble shortly before the election in preference to Thomas. The events were captured in the movie Campaign. The electorate was won by Richard Prebble.
1992 by-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
Table footnotes:
1943 election
1938 election
1935 election
1931 election
1928 election
1925 election
1922 election
1919 election
1918 by-election
1914 election
1911 election
First ballot
Second ballot
1905 election
Table footnotes
Notes
References
External links Electorate Profile Parliamentary Library Election results for Wellington Central at the 2014 election Elections New Zealand