1974 Lower Hutt mayoral election

The 1974 Lower Hutt mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Lower Hutt plus other local government positions including sixteen city councillors, also elected triennially. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

1974 Lower Hutt mayoral election

← 1971 12 October 1974 1977 →
Turnout19,461 (47.94%)
 
Candidate John Kennedy-Good John Seddon
Party Citizens' Labour
Popular vote 11,136 8,098
Percentage 57.22 41.62

Mayor before election

John Kennedy-Good

Elected mayor

John Kennedy-Good

Background

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The incumbent Mayor, John Kennedy-Good, stood for a third term. The Citizens' Association had mended its relationship with Kennedy-Good in 1973 and his combined ticket from the previous election had merged back in to the Citizens' Association ticket.[1] The renewed unity helped Kennedy-Good to win a much increased majority against his only challenger, deputy mayor John Seddon, and also for the Citizens' to win a large council majority, where Labour previously held a plurality of seats.[2]

This was the first election in the city after the voting age had been lowered from 20 to 18. Few 18 and 19 year-olds actually voted in the election however and the few that did had come to polling stations together with a parent. According to the chief returning officer the average age of voters at the election was 50.[3]

Mayoral results

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1974 Lower Hutt mayoral election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' John Kennedy-Good 11,136 57.22 +20.06
Labour John Seddon 8,098 41.62 +7.26
Informal votes 227 1.16 +0.43
Majority 3,038 15.61 +12.81
Turnout 19,461 47.94 +1.79

Councillor results

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1974 Lower Hutt City Council election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
City Ward (15 vacancies)
Citizens' Chen Werry 10,085 51.82 +12.64
Labour John Seddon 10,061 51.69 +5.00
Citizens' Harold Turbott 10,030 51.53 +12.85
Citizens' Don Lee 9,969 51.22 +10.65
Labour Govind Bhula 9,921 50.97 +15.47
Citizens' Teri Puketapu 9,709 49.88
Labour Ernie Barry 9,149 47.01 +11.80
Citizens' Lucy Cole 9,087 46.69
Labour Kitty Mildendall 9,066 46.58 +2.41
Labour Lawrie Woodley 8,885 45.65 +7.72
Citizens' Ted Gibbs 8,798 45.20 +11.96
Citizens' Stan Frost 8,689 44.64 +15.61
Citizens' Jim Ross 8,403 43.17 +13.37
Citizens' Gerald Bond 8,317 42.73 +10.85
Citizens' Glen Evans 8,098 41.61 +12.40
Citizens' Jan Heine 8,020 41.21
Labour Les Duckworth 7,893 40.55 +7.85
Labour Doris Anne Hayward 7,800 40.08
Labour Margaret Werry 7,790 40.02
Labour Laurie Sutton 7,782 39.98 +9.64
Labour Francis O'Leary 7,587 39.98
Labour Richard John Cummings 7,232 37.16
Labour Errol Lynn Hardy 7,224 37.12
Citizens' Digby Paape 7,030 36.12
Labour Bernard Joseph Randall 6,970 35.81
Citizens' Peter Albert Wanden 6,894 35.42
Citizens' David James Smith 6,746 34.66 +10.12
Labour Garry John Joseph Winthrop 6,498 33.38
Citizens' Ken Saban 6,158 33.38
Labour Anthony Rolf Feinson 6,030 30.98
Independent Nick Ursin 3,199 16.43 +3.42
Independent Martin Nestor 1,749 8.98
Epuni Ward (1 vacancy)
Independent Glyn Clayton unopposed

Notes

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  1. ^ McGill 1991, pp. 195.
  2. ^ "Lower Hutt's Mayor Will Have Majority On Council". The Evening Post. 14 October 1974. p. 2.
  3. ^ "Few Teenagers Voted in Hutt Valley Local Body Elections". The Evening Post. 22 October 1974. p. 24.
  4. ^ "City of Lower Hutt - Declaration of Result of Election - Election of Mayor". The Evening Post. 19 October 1974. p. 30.
  5. ^ "City of Lower Hutt - Declaration of Result of Election For Councillors". The Evening Post. 19 October 1974. p. 30.

References

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  • McGill, David (1991). Lower Hutt – The First Garden City. Petone, New Zealand: Lower Hutt City Council. ISBN 1-86956-003-5.