Mataura (New Zealand electorate)
Introduction '''Mataura''' was a parliamentary electorate in the Southland Region of New Zealand, from 1866 to 1946.
Population centres In the 1865 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives focussed its review of electorates to South Island electorates only, as the Central Otago Gold Rush had caused significant population growth, and a redistribution of the existing population. Fifteen additional South Island electorates were created, including Mataura, and the number of Members of Parliament was increased by 13 to 70.Mataura was located in the rural Southland Region. It covered the area around Invercargill (which had its own urban electorate) and settlements included Bluff, Winton, Gore, Mataura, and Edendale.
History Mataura was first established for the 1866 general election. The first representative was Dillon Bell from 1866 until when he retired from politics at the dissolution of parliament in December 1875.Bell was succeeded by William Wood, who won the 1876 election. Wood resigned at the end of 1878, as he had been appointed to the Legislative Council.Woods resignation caused the , which was won by James Shanks; he retired at the end of the parliamentary term in 1881.Shanks was succeeded by Francis Wallace Mackenzie, who won the , but who was defeated in 1884 by George Richardson. In the , Richardson was defeated by Robert McNab of the Liberal Party, but Richardson in turn defeated McNab in the . In 1898, Richardson was declared bankrupt, and the resulting  was won by McNab, who served until he was defeated again in the .===Members of Parliament===The electorate was represented by nine Members of Parliament:'''Key'''      Election  Winner   Dillon Bell  1876 election William Wood ''1879 by-election'' James Shanks   Francis Wallace Mackenzie  George Richardson    Robert McNab  George Richardson (2nd period) ''1898 by-election'' Robert McNab (2nd period)    height=8  George Anderson       David McDougall   Tom Macdonald (Electorate abolished 1946; see )
Election results ===1931 election===     ===1928 election===     ===1919 election===        ===1899 election===   ===1898 by-election======1890 election===     ===1871 election===
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