1956 Auckland City mayoral election

The 1956 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1956, elections were held for the Mayor of Auckland plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

1956 Auckland City mayoral election

← 1953 17 November 1956 1957 →
Turnout33,795 (42.97%)
 
Candidate Tom Ashby John Luxford John Stewart
Party Independent Citizens & Ratepayers Labour
Popular vote 12,017 11,274 10,333
Percentage 35.55 33.35 30.57

Mayor before election

John Luxford

Elected mayor

Tom Ashby

Background

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Mayor John Luxford was challenged over his claim of wasteful expenditure by the Council by former Town Clerk Tom Ashby who claimed Luxford had not remedied the problem with the programmes he had initiated. Ashby was endorsed by the United Independents electoral ticket after Luxford had joined the Citizens & Ratepayers ticket after a falling out with Robinson and his United Independent colleagues who had backed him in his 1953 campaign. The United Independents vote fell, losing their balance of power, with the Citizens & Ratepayers regaining their council majority once again.[1]

Mayoralty results

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1956 Auckland mayoral election[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Tom Ashby 12,017 35.55
Citizens & Ratepayers John Luxford 11,274 33.35 −17.71
Labour John Stewart 10,333 30.57
Informal votes 171 0.50 −1.33
Majority 743 2.19
Turnout 33,795 42.97

Councillor results

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1956 Auckland City Council election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mary Dreaver 14,546 43.04 +3.71
Citizens & Ratepayers Keith Buttle 14,095 41.70 +5.62
Citizens & Ratepayers Fred Ambler 13,130 38.85 −3.76
Citizens & Ratepayers Winifred Delugar 12,885 38.12
Citizens & Ratepayers Tom Bloodworth 12,790 37.84 +4.34
Labour James Neil Bradley 12,720 37.63 +7.14
Labour Alex Dreaver 12,453 36.84 +5.64
Citizens & Ratepayers John Whittaker 12,414 36.73 +2.57
Citizens & Ratepayers Reg Savory 12,083 35.75 −2.27
Citizens & Ratepayers Albert Edward Bailey 12,005 35.52
Citizens & Ratepayers Howard Hunter 11,868 35.11 +4.54
Labour George Forsyth 11,631 34.41 +3.24
United Independents Dove-Myer Robinson 11,553 34.18 −6.30
Citizens & Ratepayers John Carpenter 11,489 33.99
United Independents Eric Armishaw 11,475 33.95 +0.05
Citizens & Ratepayers Brian Kingston 11,274 33.35
United Independents Ken Cumberland 11,183 33.09 +1.01
Citizens & Ratepayers Max Tongue 11,178 33.07
Labour Pat Curran 10,924 32.32 −0.47
Labour Clarence George Beer 10,830 32.04
Citizens & Ratepayers Fred Glasse 10,662 31.54
Citizens & Ratepayers Geoffrey Myers[nb 1] 10,557 31.23 +7.35
Labour Ronald Akersten 10,544 31.19 +1.57
Labour William Grant-Mackie 10,516 31.11
Labour Isabella Stancliff 10,504 31.08
Citizens & Ratepayers John Dale 10,487 31.03
Labour Agnes Johnston 10,274 30.40 −6.24
Citizens & Ratepayers Mel Tronson 10,194 30.16
Citizens & Ratepayers Edward Henderson 10,127 29.96
United Independents Val Chapman 9,979 29.52
Labour Arthur Clark 9,975 29.51
Citizens & Ratepayers Thomas Bennett 9,973 29.49
Labour Frederick Johnston 9,941 29.41 +2.11
Citizens & Ratepayers Frederick Merritt 9,900 29.29
Labour Dudley Ashford 9,896 29.28
United Independents Joseph Moodabe 9,873 29.21
Labour Alexander Meldrum 9,859 29.17
Labour Alexander Grant 9,824 29.06 −0.93
Labour Edith Williams 9,700 28.70 +0.82
Labour Mary Phillips 9,663 28.59
Labour James Booth 9,649 28.55
Labour Charles Apps 9,477 28.04
Labour Norman Finch 9,222 27.28 −0.41
Labour Cyril William Avenell 8,841 26.16
Citizens & Ratepayers Gideon Rodger 8,797 26.03 +3.51
Citizens & Ratepayers William Tailby 8,694 25.72
United Independents Eric Boggs 8,652 25.60
Citizens & Ratepayers Walter Reevely 8,308 24.58
United Independents Matt Te Hau 8,013 23.71
United Independents Harold Watts 7,962 23.55
United Independents Vernon Brown 7,808 23.10 −5.79
United Independents Robert Wright 7,545 22.32
United Independents Mary Jackson 7,265 21.49 −6.15
United Independents Charles Fisher 7,241 21.42
United Independents John Northey 7,122 21.07
United Independents Berin Spiro 6,903 20.42
United Independents Wallace Fountain 6,885 20.37
United Independents Alister Martin 6,387 18.89
United Independents Lionel Albert 6,345 18.77
Citizens & Ratepayers Laurie Gluckman 6,309 18.66
United Independents David Wilkie 6,170 18.25
United Independents Glassford Glover Walter Gray 6,095 18.03
United Independents Charles Collier 5,764 17.05
Independent Richard Armstrong 2,222 6.57 −3.71
Independent George Mullenger 1,927 5.70 −0.46
Communist Rita Smith 1,803 5.33 +0.95
Communist Bill Andersen 1,698 5.02 +0.18
Communist Donald McEwan 1,593 4.71 +0.41
Independent Frank Dunn 1,531 4.53

Table footnotes:

  1. ^ Myers was appointed to the council in December 1956 to replace Clarence George Beer after a recount.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Edgar 2012.
  2. ^ "Declaration of Poll". The New Zealand Herald. 23 November 1956. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Declaration of Poll". The New Zealand Herald. 28 November 1956. p. 5.
  4. ^ "Council Poll Upset - Magisterial Recount At Auckland". The Press. Vol. XCIV, no. 28156. 20 December 1956. p. 16.

References

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  • Edgar, John (2012). Urban Legend: Sir Dove-Meyer Robinson. Hodder Moa.