Bay of Plenty (New Zealand electorate) seat for National's Tony Ryall, who has been returned easily at every election since the seat's re-establishment in . The upper central North Island is an area where New Zealand First has done well, frequently getting a higher vote share in seats in both the Bay of Plenty region and in the Waikato than it does nationally. The earlier Bay of Plenty electorate from 1893 to 1978 was held by William Kelly 1893–1896, William Herries 1896–1908, William MacDonald 1908–1920, Kenneth Williams 1920–1935, Gordon Hultquist 1935–1941, Bill Sullivan 1941–1957, Percy Allen 1957–1975 and Duncan MacIntyre 1975–1978. Williams had the distinction of
Bay of Plenty in 1769. Cook noted the abundance of food supplies, in comparison to Poverty Bay further back along the eastern coast of the North Island. Further reports of European contact are scarce prior to the arrival of missionary Samuel Marsden to the Tauranga area in 1820. During the 1820s and 1830s, northern iwi including Ngā Puhi invaded the Bay of Plenty during their campaign throughout the North Island, fighting local Māori tribes in what became known as the Musket Wars. However, the 1830s and 1840s saw increased contact between Bay of Plenty Māori and Europeans through trade, although few Europeans settled