The earlier Hamilton electorate dates from 1922. In 1969 Hamilton West was split off; that electorate initially extended to the west coast. In 1972 the additional electorate of Hamilton East was created, and Hamilton was abolished. The electorate is mainly urban, and covers the eastern part of the city of Hamilton. The Waikato River divides the city in half and forms the boundary between the Hamilton East and Hamilton West electorates. Taranaki-King Country sits to the west of the Hamilton West electorate. In the 2025 boundary review the Hamilton East electorate’s boundaries were unchanged from the 2020 review.