In the 1887 electoral redistribution, although the Representation Commission was required through the Representation Act 1887 to maintain existing electorates "as far as possible", rapid population growth in the North Island required the transfer of three seats from the South Island to the north.
[7] The current electorate includes the following population centres (approximate population in brackets) from the Wairarapa area of the Wellington region, the Tararua District (part of the Manawatū-Whanganui region) and the Central Hawke's Bay District (part of the Hawke's Bay region): During the 2019/20 boundary review done by the Electoral Commission, Kieran McAnulty, a List MP based in the electorate, and Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker, proposed that the electorate be renamed to Wairarapa and Central Hawke's Bay in order to acknowledge the communities included in the electorate.
[10] Since 1871, the electorate had two representatives,[11] and the second one was John Chapman Andrew until he resigned in 1877, succeeded by George Beetham from 1877 to 1881.
[15] In 1928 he was defeated by Thomas William McDonald the United (Liberal) candidate, but in 1931 McLeod won the seat back.
[16] Ben Roberts represented the electorate for the Labour Party from the 1935 election until 1946, when he retired.
That gave him number two on the National party list, and he did not contest an electorate in the 1999 election.
The National Party stood Paul Henry in the election, but to the general surprise of political commentators, the typically right-leaning electorate was won by Labour's Georgina Beyer with a 3,033 vote majority to become the world's first transsexual member of parliament.
[21] Beyer stood in the 2005 election as a list-only candidate, and the Wairarapa electorate was won by John Hayes of the National Party.
[22] Hayes held the electorate for three parliamentary terms and retired at the 2014 election,[22][23] when he was succeeded by National's Alastair Scott.
The seat was won by Kieran McAnulty in a surprise Labour Party swing, with new National candidate Mike Butterick taking second place.
Mike Butterick won the seat at the 2023 election and is the current Wairarapa MP.
[citation needed] Key Independent Conservative Liberal Reform United Labour National NZ First Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Wairarapa electorate.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.