1971 Dunedin mayoral election

The 1971 Dunedin mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1971, elections were held for the Mayor of Dunedin plus other local government positions including twelve city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

1971 Dunedin mayoral election

9 October 1971
Turnout	23,157
Candidate Jim Barnes Russell Calvert Party Citizens' Labour Popular vote 12,666 7,543 Percentage 54.69 32.57
Mayor before election Jim Barnes Elected mayor Jim Barnes

Jim Barnes, the incumbent Mayor was re-elected for a second term. He defeated former mayor Russell Calvert who had been re-elected to the council in a mid-term by-election. The state of parties remained unchanged on the city council with the Citizens' Association winning eight seats and the Labour Party four.

Results

The following table shows the results for the election:

1971 Dunedin mayoral election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens'	Jim Barnes	12,666	54.69	+1.23
	Labour	Russell Calvert	7,543	32.57	−6.86
	Independent	Arthur Klap	2,808	12.12
Informal votes			140	0.60	+0.09
Majority			5,123	22.12	+8.10
Turnout			23,157