The Kaimai was established by incorporating some suburbs that had belonged to the Tauranga electorate, getting the southern part of the abolished Coromandel electorate, and gaining Te Puke from the abolished Bay of Plenty electorate. Other than Te Puke, population centres of the original electorate included Mount Maunganui, Katikati, Welcome Bay, Maungatapu, Papamoa, and Waihi Beach.