Papakura is an electorate for the New Zealand House of Representatives, based in the south Auckland town of Papakura. Historically, the name refers to an electorate that existed between and , which with the advent of Mixed Member Proportional voting and resulting reduction in the number of constituencies was folded into a new seat. In Hunua was modified, pulled northwards and renamed . The seat is currently vacant following the resignation of Judith Collins, of the National Party, on 14 May 2026.
Population centres
The 1977 electoral redistribution was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established through an amendment to the Representation Act in 1886, initiated by Muldoon's National Government. As part of the 1976 census, a large number of people failed to fill out an electoral re-registration card, and census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed. This had little practical effect on people on the general roll, but it transferred Māori to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, this resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the North Island. The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, and 22 electorates were abolished, while 27 electorates were newly created (including Papakura) or re-established. These changes came into effect for the .
In a modern sense, the name refers to a constituency which was fought for the first time at the . This new Papakura seat is the successor to the old Clevedon seat. The electorate is centred on Papakura and stretches from the Manukau Harbour in the west to the Hauraki Gulf to the east. It covers the towns of Drury, Karaka, Kingseat. Until 2014 it also included Waiau Pa and Clarks Beach. The 2020 redistribution significantly altered the electorate profile with the creation of the new ceding the South Auckland suburbs of Wattle Downs, Conifer Grove, Takanini, Randwick Park, Alfriston, The Gardens and Totara Heights, while gaining the rural communities of Ararimu, Beachlands, Bombay, Brookby, Clevedon, Hunua, Kawakawa Bay, Maraetai, Ness Valley, Ōrere Point, Ramarama and Whitford. In the 2025 redistribution, the electorate would cede Beachlands, Maraetai and Whitford to and gain part of Takanini from .
History In the 1978 election, the Papakura electorate was won by National's Merv Wellington, who had been MP for the Manurewa electorate since . When he retired at the , he was succeeded by John Robertson.
The electorate was re-created for the with Judith Collins, MP of the abolished Clevedon electorate, winning the seat for every subsequent election until retirement prior to the .
Members of Parliament
Key
Elections Winner Merv Wellington John Robertson1 (Electorate abolished 1996–2008) Judith Collins
1Robertson defected to the United party in 1995.
List MPs Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Papakura electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs' terms began and ended at general elections.
Key
Election Winner Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki
Election results 2026 election The next election will be held on 7 November 2026. Candidates for Papakura are listed at Candidates in the 2026 New Zealand general election by electorate § Papakura. Official results will be available after 27 November 2026.
2023 election
2020 election
2017 election
2014 election
Electorate (as at 4 October 2014): 45,992
2011 election
Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 44,164
2008 election
Table footnotes
Notes
References