1914 New Zealand general election

1914 New Zealand general election
10 & 11 December 1914
All 80 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives
41 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout84.7%
  First party Second party
 
Leader William Massey Sir Joseph Ward
Party Reform Liberal
Leader since 11 February 1909 11 September 1913
Leader's seat Franklin Awarua
Last election 38 seats, 33.4% 36 seats, 34.2%
Seats before 41 32
Seats won 40 34
Seat change Decrease 1 Increase 2
Popular vote 243,122 222,299
Percentage 47.1% 43.1%
Swing Increase 13.7% Increase 8.9%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Alfred Hindmarsh James McCombs
Party United Labour Social Democrat
Leader since 7 April 1912 Unclear
Leader's seat Wellington South Lyttelton
Last election Not yet founded Not yet founded
Seats before 2 3
Seats won 3 2
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 22,672 22,500
Percentage 4.2% 4.2%
Swing Increase 4.2% Increase 4.2%
Results of the election.
Prime Minister before election

William Massey
Reform

 Subsequent Prime Minister

William Massey
Reform

The 1914 New Zealand general election was held on 10 December to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 19th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Maori vote was held on 11 December. A total number of 616,043 voters were registered, of which 84.7% voters turned out to vote.[1]

The election saw William Massey's Reform Government maintain power.

Background

The second-ballot voting system had been repealed in 1913, and first-past-the-post voting reinstated for the 1914 election.[1] Soldiers serving overseas in the NZEF were given a vote by the Expeditionary Forces Voting Act, 1914. They voted for a party (Liberal, Labour or Reform) and their votes were allocated to a candidate for their electorate by a representative of their party; which sometimes required the representative to choose between rival "Liberal" or "Labour" candidates.[2]

Summary of results

Party totals

Election results
Party Candidates Total votes Percentage Seats won
Reform Party 84 243,025 45.47 40
Liberal Party 77 227,706 42.61 34
United Labour 10 22,672 4.24 3
Social Democrat 11 22,500 4.21 2
Independents 12 18,554 3.47 1
Total valid votes 534,457 80
Informal votes 5,618 1.04
Registered voters 616,043
Total candidates 193
  • Auckland West, Hawke's Bay, Taumarunui, Wairarapa, Waitaki and Wellington Central were won by the Liberals from Reform
  • Chalmers, Dunedin West, Motueka, and Northern Maori were won by Reform from the Liberals
  • Nelson was won by Reform from an independent.
  • Otaki was won by Reform from the Social Democrats.
  • Dunedin North was won by United Labour from Reform
  • Four electorates replaced their incumbent MP with another from the same party: Christchurch East and Temuka (Liberal), Eden and Wellington Suburbs and Country (Reform).

Votes summary

Popular Vote
Reform
 
 46.90%
Liberal
 
 43.10%
United Labour
 
 4.24%
Social Democrat
 
 4.21%
Independents
 
 11.40%
Parliament seats
Reform
 
 50.00%
Liberal
 
 42.50%
United Labour
 
 3.75%
Social Democrat
 
 2.50%
Independents
 
 1.25%

Results

The following are the results of the 1914 general election:

Key

  Liberal   Reform   United Labour   Social Democrat   Independent Labour   Independent

Electorate results for the 1914 New Zealand general election[3]
Electorate Incumbent Winner Majority Runner up
General electorates
Ashburton William Nosworthy 157 William Maslin
Auckland Central Albert Glover 2,302 Michael Joseph Savage
Auckland East Arthur Myers 2,507 Arthur Holmes
Auckland West James Bradney Charles Poole 1,411 James Bradney
Awarua Sir Joseph Ward 1,226 John Hamilton
Avon George Russell 1,073 Dan Sullivan
Bay of Islands Vernon Reed 108 Peter Buck
Bay of Plenty William MacDonald 965 Kenneth Williams
Bruce James Allen 693 Charles Smith
Buller James Colvin 2,195 George Powell
Chalmers Edward Clark James Dickson 686 William Mason
Christchurch East Thomas Davey Henry Thacker 1,890 Hiram Hunter
Christchurch North Leonard Isitt 1,217 Henry Toogood[4]
Christchurch South Harry Ell 2,333 Gains Whiting
Clutha Alexander Malcolm 1,009 John Jenkinson
Dunedin Central Charles Statham 12 Jim Munro
Dunedin North George Thomson Andrew Walker 322 George Thomson
Dunedin South Thomas Sidey 2,697 Thomas Dalton
Dunedin West John A. Millar William Downie Stewart 345 John Johnson
Eden John Bollard James Parr 2,456 William Tuck
Egmont Charles Wilkinson 894 David Astbury
Ellesmere Heaton Rhodes 273 James Free
Franklin William Massey 2,928 Arthur Glass
Gisborne Sir James Carroll 1,249 Harry de Lautour
Grey Paddy Webb 980 Henry Michel
Grey Lynn John Payne 89 Murdoch McLean
Hawke's Bay Hugh Campbell Robert McNab 40 Hugh Campbell
Hurunui George Forbes 1,486 William Banks
Hutt Thomas Wilford 943 Albert Samuel
Invercargill Josiah Hanan 1,590 John Lillicrap
Kaiapoi David Buddo 1,181 David Jones
Kaipara Gordon Coates 1,118 Richard Hoe
Lyttelton James McCombs 1,598 Malcolm Miller
Manukau Frederic Lang 1,224 John McLarin
Marsden Francis Mander 940 Edmund Purdie
Masterton George Sykes 193 Alexander Hogg
Mataura George Anderson 174 William Mehaffey
Motueka Roderick McKenzie Richard Hudson 602 Roderick McKenzie
Napier Vigor Brown 2,215 George William Venables[5]
Nelson Harry Atmore Thomas Field 90 Harry Atmore
Oamaru Ernest Lee 338 John MacPherson
Ohinemuri Hugh Poland 100 Joseph Clark
Oroua David Guthrie 1,119 John Morrison
Otago Central Robert Scott 999 William Bodkin
Otaki John Robertson William Field 640 John Robertson
Pahiatua James Escott 683 John Mathews
Palmerston David Buick 1,109 Jim Thorn
Parnell James Dickson 1,172 Jeremiah Sullivan
Patea George Pearce 118 William Morrison
Raglan Richard Bollard 1,448 William Thompson
Rangitikei Edward Newman 903 Robert Hornblow
Riccarton George Witty 1,215 Bertram Bunn
Selwyn William Dickie 1,227 George Sheat
Stratford John Hine 637 Bill Hawkins
Taranaki Henry Okey 201 Daniel Hughes
Taumarunui Charles Wilson William Jennings 205 Charles Wilson
Tauranga William Herries 1,992 Ralph Stewart
Temuka Thomas Buxton Charles Talbot 407 Charles Kerr
Thames Thomas Rhodes 515 Edmund Taylor
Timaru James Craigie 1,110 Frank Smith
Waikato Alexander Young 2,193 Alexander Scholes
Waimarino Robert Smith 1,995 Hugh Speed
Waipawa George Hunter 138 Albert Jull
Wairarapa Walther Buchanan J. T. Marryat Hornsby 60 Walther Buchanan
Wairau Richard McCallum 369 John Duncan
Waitaki Francis Smith John Anstey 156 Norton Francis
Waitemata Alexander Harris 1,013 Henry Cromwell Tewsley[6]
Wanganui Bill Veitch 852 Frederick Pirani
Wakatipu William Fraser 897 Joseph Stephens[7]
Wallace John Thomson 881 Alexander Rodger
Wellington Central Frank Fisher Robert Fletcher 2,329 Frank Fisher
Wellington East Alfred Newman 48 David McLaren[nb 1]
Wellington North Alexander Herdman 2,655 William Turnbull
Wellington South Alfred Hindmarsh 1,215 John Luke
Wellington Suburbs and Country William Bell Robert Wright 1,002 Frank Moore
Westland Tom Seddon 826 Arthur Paape
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori Sir Āpirana Ngata 2,825 Hetekia Pere
Northern Maori Te Rangi Hīroa Taurekareka Henare 176 Hemi te Paa
Southern Maori Taare Parata 238 Teone Matapura Erihana
Western Maori Māui Pōmare Māui Pōmare 2,107 Hema te Ao

Table footnotes:

  1. ↑ Labour was narrowly ahead on election night, but after a counting error was discovered, the seat was won by Reform[8]

Aftermath

There were many close results in dozens of electorates, six were decided by less than 100 votes. The government's majority was precarious for many months and it was particularly disappointed by their losses in Taumarunui and Hawkes Bay to the Liberals. The Reform Party filed a record number of electoral petitions, alleging irregularities. Several by-elections were necessitated on grounds of irregularities in Dunedin Central, Bay of Islands and Taumarunui.[9] The Liberal Party campaigned vigorously to gain Bay of Islands, retain Taumarunui and supported the United Labour Party candidate (Jim Munro) in Dunedin Central. If all results went his way, it was conceivable for Liberal leader, Sir Joseph Ward, to form a minority government with Labour support. Ward even made preparations for a return to power, but the Reform Party managed to hold their two seats and continue in power.[10]

Citations

  1. 1 2 "General elections 1853–2005 – dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  2. ↑ Barry Gustafson (1980). Labour's Path to Political Independence. Auckland University Press. pp. 87–88.
  3. ↑ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Henry Featherston Toogood (1879–1962)". Engineering New Zealand. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "General Election". The Press. Vol. L, no. 15116. 4 November 1914. p. 7. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "Mr. H.C. Tewsley". Observer. Vol. XXXV, no. 14. 12 December 1914. p. 15. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Labour's Candidates". Maoriland Worker. Vol. 12, no. 299. 22 November 1922. p. 12. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Bassett 1982, p. 17.
  9. ↑ Bassett 1982, p. 19.
  10. ↑ Bassett 1982, p. 18.

References

  • Bassett, Michael (1982). Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911–1931. Auckland: Historical Publications. ISBN 0-86870-006-1.

See also

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