1944 Awarua by-election

1944 Awarua by-election
Turnout	7,466
Member before election; James Hargest; National	Elected Member ; George Herron; National

The 1944 Awarua by-election was a by-election held during the 27th New Zealand Parliament in the Southland electorate of Awarua. The by-election occurred following the death of MP James Hargest and was won by George Herron.

Background[]

Hargest, who was first elected to represent Awarua in 1935, was killed in action on 12 August 1944. His death instigated the Awarua by-election, which was contested by three candidates.

George Herron, a local official in the Farmers Union, was chosen to contest the seat for the National Party. The Labour Party chose local schoolteacher Leo Sylvester O'Sullivan as their nominee. Previously, Labour had attempted to secure Victoria Cross recipient Jack Hinton to stand as their candidate, who had previously signalled his interest in pursuing a career in politics, however he was unable to be contacted to confirm his candidacy.^[1] Robert Henderson, a local pensioner, stood for the Real Democracy Movement who advocated for monetary reform.

Results[]

The following table gives the election results:

1944 Awarua by-election^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	National	George Herron	4,659	62.40
	Labour	Leo Sylvester O'Sullivan	2,558	34.26
	Real Democracy	Robert Henderson	249	3.33
Majority			2,101	28.14
Turnout			7,466

Notes[]

^ "Awarua By-election". Evening Post. CXXXVIII (89). 12 October 1944. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2017 – via Papers Past.
^ "National Win Awarua By-election". Auckland Star. LXXV (257). 30 October 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 6 June 2017.

References[]

Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.

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[1] "Awarua By-election". Evening Post. CXXXVIII (89). 12 October 1944. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2017 – via Papers Past.

[2] "National Win Awarua By-election". Auckland Star. LXXV (257). 30 October 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 6 June 2017.

[1]

[2]

v t « (1912–1938) « By-elections in New Zealand in the two-party era (1939–1995) » (1996–present) »
26th Parliament	Christchurch South, 1939 Auckland West, 1940 Waipawa, 1940 Waitemata, 1941 Bay of Plenty, 1941 Mid-Canterbury, 1942 Temuka, 1942 Hauraki, 1942 Christchurch East, 1943 Northern Maori, 1943
27th Parliament	Awarua, 1944 Western Maori, 1945 Hamilton, 1945 Dunedin North, 1945 Raglan, 1946
28th Parliament	Avon, 1947 Mount Albert, 1947 Westland, 1947
29th Parliament	Brooklyn, 1951
30th Parliament	Dunedin North, 1953 Onehunga, 1953 Onslow, 1954 Patea, 1954
31st Parliament	Riccarton, 1956 Bay of Plenty, 1957
32nd Parliament	Hamilton, 1959
33rd Parliament	Hurunui, 1961 Waitaki, 1962 Buller, 1962 Timaru, 1962 Otahuhu, 1963 Northern Maori, 1963 Grey Lynn, 1963
34th Parliament	There were no by-elections during the term of the 34th Parliament.
35th Parliament	Southern Maori, 1967 Fendalton, 1967 Petone, 1967 Palmerston North, 1967 Eastern Maori, 1967 Hutt, 1968
36th Parliament	Marlborough, 1970
37th Parliament	Sydenham, 1974
38th Parliament	Nelson, 1976 Mangere, 1977 Pahiatua, 1977 Rangitikei, 1978
39th Parliament	Christchurch Central, 1979 Northern Maori, 1980 Onehunga, 1980 East Coast Bays, 1980
40th Parliament	There were no by-elections during the term of the 40th Parliament.
41st Parliament	Timaru, 1985
42nd Parliament	There were no by-elections during the term of the 42nd Parliament.
43rd Parliament	Tamaki, 1992 Wellington Central, 1992 Tauranga, 1993
44th Parliament	Selwyn, 1994