Rangitīkei (New Zealand electorate)

Rangitīkei (before 2008 styled as Rangitikei without a macron) is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Rangitīkei is Ian McKelvie of the National Party. He has held this position since 2011.

The electorate has existed continuously since the 1861 general election.

Rangitīkei covers an area of the lower North Island. It extends from the outskirts of Palmerston North, through the Rangitïkei catchment area north to the North Island Volcanic Plateau. The main towns included are Taumarunui, Waiouru, Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, Bulls, and Feilding, and the suburbs of Ashhurst, Aokautere, Turitea and Linton in Palmerston North.

The current boundaries of the seat date from the introduction of mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting in 1996. The seat was created by adding the southern tip of King Country to the northern tip of the Manawatu seat, and drafting in the towns to the east of Whanganui from Waitotara. The rural conservative nature of the seat makes it a safe National seat, though this belies the fact that for six years it was held by a third party MP, Social Credit leader Bruce Beetham.

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