The Marlborough by-election of 1970 was a by-election for the electorate of Marlborough, held on 21 February 1970[1][2] during the 30th New Zealand Parliament.
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| Turnout | 14,730 (78.31%) | |||||||||||||||
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Background
editThe by-election resulted from the death of Tom Shand on 11 December 1969, only 12 days after he (and the government) had been re-elected on 29 November; and the new National candidate was defeated by the greatest swing against a government since the 1935 general election, in what was a largely rural electorate generally regarded a safe National seat. Tom Shand had held the seat from 1946, when he defeated Labour’s Ted Meachen.
Candidates
edit- Labour
The Labour Party selected Ian Brooks as their candidate. In 1969 he had stood in the electorate.[3]
- National
There were five nominees who came forward for the National Party candidacy:[4][5]
- Bruno Dalliessi, the Mayor of Picton
- R. J. Doak, a farmer from Amberley who was National's 1969 campaign manager in Rangiora
- R. W. Palmer, a farmer from Wairau Valley
- Norra Woodbane Pomare, a farmer from Wellington who was National's candidate for Southern Maori in 1969
- Anthony "Andy" Shand, a farmer and member of the Kaikoura County Council – son of the previous member
Shand was chosen to contest the seat at the party selection committee meeting.[6]
- Social Credit
There were two candidates for the Social Credit Party nomination:[7]
Kerr was selected. It was the seventh consecutive time he had contested the seat, having done so at every previous election since 1954.[8]
Campaign
editThe vote for Tom Shand had been close in 1966. Labour only decided that the seat was winnable in January, and sent in two MPs Arthur Faulkner and Colin Moyle to organise the campaign. Labour's candidate, Brooks, was local; he was a senior clerk in the Picton manual telephone exchange and also had a small farm. The seat was largely rural, but Brooks polled particularly well in Picton, and well in the other two population centres, Blenheim and Kaikōura. At the end of the campaign there was some criticism of Andy Shand for frequent "butting-in" during a combined television broadcast appearance for all the candidates on Wednesday 17 February.[9]
Results
editThe following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ian Brooks | 7,060 | 47.93 | +9.29 | |
| National | Andy Shand | 6,017 | 40.85 | ||
| Social Credit | George Kerr | 1,171 | 7.95 | −0.29 | |
| Country Party | Clifford Stanley Emeny | 482 | 3.27 | ||
| Majority | 1,043 | 7.08 | |||
| Turnout | 14,730 | 78.31 | −13.33 | ||
| Registered electors | 18,809 | ||||
The election-night margin to Labour of 1131 was so great that the final result was not expected to change when special votes, which generally tended to go to National, were counted.[11] There were 32 informal votes.[12]
George Chapman was the Wellington National Party chairman. He heard reports that all was not well in the campaign, the party was in deep trouble, and that Labour was making an all-out effort. But he found that party president Ned Holt was complacent about the by-election; saying that everything was in order, and that in any case National's majority in Marlborough was big enough to absorb any setback. But on by-election night Labour inflicted a stunning defeat on National, reducing the Government majority from six to four, and shaking party confidence. Chapman became the leader for change in the organisation, resulting in his nomination for party president in 1971, although he did not become president until 1973.[13]
Despite winning a surprise victory in 1969, National was so embarrassed from the by-election defeat it triggered the media to seriously speculate about Prime Minister Keith Holyoake's retirement.[14]
Notes
edit- ^ New Zealand Official Yearbook 1970 p1137
- ^ Wood, G. A. (1996) [1987]. Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament (2 ed.). Dunedin: University of Otago Press. p. 113. ISBN 1 877133 00 0.
- ^ "Labour Choice Of Candidate". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32206. 27 January 1970. p. 13.
- ^ "Five Seek Nomination". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32191. 9 January 1970. p. 1.
- ^ "Five Wanted to Stand". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32192. 10 January 1970. p. 10.
- ^ "Mr Shand's Son to Contest By-election". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32196. 15 January 1970. p. 12.
- ^ "Social Credit Nominations". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32193. 12 January 1970. p. 8.
- ^ "Candidate Chosen". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32195. 14 January 1970. p. 26.
- ^ "Marlborough By-election". The Dominion. 20 February 1970. p. 3.
- ^ Norton 1988, p. 274.
- ^ "Labour wins Marlborough By-election". The Dominion. 23 February 1970. p. 3.
- ^ Norton 1988, pp. 274, 410.
- ^ Chapman, George (1980). The Years of Lightning. Wellington: AH & AW Reed. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0-589-01346-7.
- ^ Wood, G. A. "Holyoake, Keith Jacka". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
References
edit- Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.