As voting booths open Robyn Bristow takes a look at the two electorates in which North Canterbury News readers live.

The Waimakariri and Kaikoura electorates are diverse.

Both have large urban centres, and in the case of Waimakariri, two Christchurch suburban populations.

But both are also home to large farms, wineries and vineyards, lifestyle blocks, rural residential properties, and small towns.

They are both held by National — Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey, and Kaikoura MP Stuart Smith.

They had strong majorities — well up from 2017 when their majorities were slashed when Labour swept into power.

Doocey captured the seat with a majority of 13,010 votes well up on his 2020 majority of just 1507, while  Smith’s majority was 11,412 up from 2295 in 2020.

The turnout in 2023 was 82.3 per cent in Waimakariri and Kaikoura 

Waimakariri

The Waimakariri electorate’s northern and southern boundaries are largely defined by the Ashley/ Rakahuri River in the north, the Waimakariri River in the south and the Puketeraki Range to the west.

It spills across the Waimakariri River to include the Christchurch City suburbs of Casebrook and Belfast.

The main rural towns are Oxford, Cust, Rangiora, Woodend, Kaiapoi, the new community Ravenswood, Pegasus, and Belfast.

The Waimakariri district, which is a large part of the electorate, is one of New Zealand’s most popular places to live, and continues to grow as people seek a lifestyle outside Christchurch, but within commuting distance of the city.

It has also provided a safe haven for many exiting Christchurch after the 2010 and 2011 quakes.

At June 2025 were about 69,800 people living in Waimakariri district.

It remains a top growth area alongsnide Selwyn and the Queenstown Lakes District.

Candidates in the Waimakariri electorate in 2023

Five candidates will contest the seat — Ash Bettridge (ACT); Dan Rosewarned (Labour); Jackie Farrelly (NZ First); Matt Doocey (National), Richard Wesley (GFreen).

 Kaikoura

The Kaikoura electorate sprawls across the north-eastern South Island, from Cook Strait in the north to the Ashley/Rakahuri River in the south.

At more than 21,000 square kilometres, it is New Zealand’s fourth-largest general electorate by area.

Its main towns are Blenheim and Kaikoura.

Other towns include Picton, Havelock, Cheviot, Hanmer Springs, Culverden, Amberley, Sefton, and Ashley.

The electorate boundaries were not changed in any recent boundary reviews.

Blenheim is the largest populated area in both the electorate and the Marlborough region.

It is the country’s 17th main urban area, with 26,400 people.

Its surrounding area is well known as the centre of New Zealand’s wine industry and it enjoys one of New Zealand’s sunniest climates, with hot, relatively dry summers and cool, crisp winters.

The electorate also takes in the Waipara Valley wine region, an increasingly popular winegrowing area with many award-winning vintages being produced.

It also encompasses some of New Zealand’s most spectacular tourist spots, from the Marlborough Sounds south to Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura.

National has held the seat since its establishment in 1996.

It is currently represented by National’s Stuart Smith.

The Kaikoura turnout in 2023 was 82.6 percent.

Candidates in the Kaikoura electorate in 2023

Seven candidates will contest the seat — Iain Britton (Independent); Jamie Arbuckle (NZ First); Matthew Flight (Labour); Stuart Smith (National); Ted Howard (Independent); Tom Spooner (ACT).

Both electorates are experiencing growng pains, the pressure of new subdivisions, inadequate main highway infrastructure and bridges, and the schools bulging at the seams.

Along the coast the Woodend Bypass has become an election issue, while in Kaikoura its fragile coastal highway is causing headaches for nationwide cartage of goods and for tourists visiting the region.

Each electorate has vineyards and wineries that are experiencing hard economic times, while tourism continues to grow unabated in the Kaikoura electorate.