Eastern Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Northern Maori, Western Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated, and Eastern Maori was replaced with the Te Tai Rawhiti and Te Puku O Te Whenua electorates.
Population centres The electorate included the population centres of Kawerau, Rotorua and Whakatāne.
Tribal areas The electorate included the tribal areas of Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa, Ngāi Tai, Te Whakatōhea and Ngāti Porou.
History Eastern Maori included Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty, and the Poverty Bay area down to Gisborne. Originally the electorate extended down the East Coast and included the Wairarapa, but in 1954 the boundaries of the Southern Maori electorate were extended to include much of the East Coast of the North Island up to Napier and Wairoa in Hawke's Bay.
The first Member of Parliament for Eastern Maori was Tāreha Te Moananui, elected in 1868; he was the first Māori MP to speak in Parliament, and he retired in 1870.
James Carroll represented the electorate from 1887 to 1893, but in 1893 he changed to the Waiapu electorate and was replaced by Wi Pere who Carroll had defeated in 1887.
In the , the incumbent, Tiaki Ōmana of the Labour Party, was unsuccessfully challenged by National's Turi Carroll.
In the , Puti Tīpene Wātene was elected. He was a Mormon and was the first non-Rātana to win a Māori seat since 1938.
With MMP Eastern Maori was replaced by the Te Tai Rawhiti electorate in 1996. Peter Tapsell, who had represented Eastern Maori since 1981 was defeated when he stood in the new electorate.
Members of Parliament The Eastern Maori electorate was represented by ten Members of Parliament:
Key
ElectionWinner 1868 Māori election rowspan=1 Tāreha Te Moananui 1871 election rowspan=2 Karaitiana Takamoana 1876 election 1879 by-election rowspan=3 Hēnare Tomoana 1879 election 1881 election 1884 election rowspan=1 Wi Pere 1887 election rowspan=1 James Carroll 1890 election rowspan=1 1893 election rowspan=4 Wi Pere (2nd period) 1896 election 1899 election 1902 election 1905 election rowspan=7 Āpirana Ngata 1908 election 1911 election 1914 election 1919 election 1922 election 1925 election 1928 election rowspan=3 1931 election rowspan=2 1938 election 1943 election rowspan=7 Tiaki Ōmana 1946 election 1949 election 1951 election 1954 election 1957 election 1960 election 1963 election rowspan=2 Puti Tīpene Wātene 1966 election 1967 by-election rowspan=5 Paraone Reweti 1969 election1972 election1975 election1978 election1981 election rowspan=5 Peter Tapsell1984 election1987 election1990 election1993 election
Election results Note that the affiliation of many early candidates is not known.
1993 election
1990 election
1987 election
1984 election
1981 election
1978 election
1975 election
1972 election
1969 election
1967 by-election
1966 election
1963 election
1960 election
1957 election
1954 election
1951 election
1949 election
The number of electors on Maori rolls was often inaccurate hence the impossible turnout figures.
1946 election
1931 election
1928 election
1899 election
1896 election
1879 by-election
Notes
References
External links Text of Eastern Māori election poll petition, 1876 (in Māori)