West Coast-Tasman is the largest general electorate in the entire country, with an area larger than the entirety of Belgium.

[1] It comprises the entirety of Te Tai Poutini and the Tasman District, as well as Brightwater in suburban Nelson.

Historically it has often been regarded as one of the safest New Zealand Labour Party seats in the entire country.

[2][3] From its creation for the 1996 election until 2023, it was held by Damien O'Connor of the Labour Party, with the exception of one parliamentary term under National's Chris Auchinvole (between 2008 and 2011).

Damien O'Connor was the first representative and he held the electorate until the 2008 general election, when he was beaten by National candidate Chris Auchinvole, who had previously been a list MP.

[10] His position on the Labour Party list meant that O'Connor couldn't return to Parliament immediately.

[12] Auchinvole retired from politics at the end of the 2011–2014 parliamentary term, and former Mayor of Westland District, Maureen Pugh, gained the nomination for the National Party.

Based on preliminary results for the 2014 election, Pugh was the lowest-ranked National Party list member who was returned to Parliament,[15][16] but when the final results were released two weeks later, National had lost one list seat and Pugh did not get returned to Parliament.

[17] West Coast-Tasman has been represented by two electorate MPs so far: Key Labour   National   Green Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the West Coast-Tasman electorate.

1In the 2008 election Damien O'Connor's list position of 37 meant he was not returned until Michael Cullen resigned in May 2009.

4Maureen Pugh's list position of 44 meant she became elected after Bill English resigned in February 2018.