1960 New Zealand general election
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All 80 seats in the New Zealand Parliament 41 seats were needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 1,170,503 (89.8%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results of the election. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 33rd term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the National Party, putting an end to the short second Labour government.
Background[]
The Labour Party had won the 1957 election by a narrow margin, beginning New Zealand's second period of Labour government. However, the new administration soon lost its narrow lead in public opinion, with its financial policies being the principal cause of dissatisfaction. The so-called "Black Budget", introduced by finance minister Arnold Nordmeyer, increased taxes substantially, with particularly large increases for alcohol and tobacco taxes; Labour became widely seen as both miserly and puritanical. The government defended its tax increases as a necessary measure to avert a balance of payments crisis, but the opposition, led by Keith Holyoake, made substantial gains out of the issue throughout the parliamentary term.[1]
Both parties crafted narratives on the history of the balance of payments crisis in the lead up to the election. Holyoake tried to argue that overseas funds had not fallen as much as Nash said in 1957, and that Labour had produced a panic budget. Moreover, the over-importing was due to a fear of import controls if Labour should win. Nash continued to stress that National had produced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and that Labour had averted further disaster by its action. Coincidentally, at the begging of the election another drop in overseas funds occurred, but neither party commented much about it.[2]
Labour's main policy platform was on industrialization particularly with new cotton mills in Nelson. Nash constantly repeated the theme people in New Zealand had 'never been so well off' and pamphlets stated 'everyone, everywhere, will again be better off', closely mirroring British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's winning slogan in 1959, 'You've never had it so good'.[3] National's campaign promised to lower taxes, reduce import controls and abolish compulsory unionism.[4]
A very thorough study of the election by three political scientists concluded that National's preparations for the election, organization, and publicity were much better than Labour's which was the main reason for the result with little substantial differences between the parties in policy.[5] National's party organisation recognised their win was mostly due to public mood against Labour and many traditional Labour voters not bothering to vote. As a result Labour's vote share had fallen more than National's had risen.[6]
MPs retiring in 1960[]
Five National MPs and four Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 32nd Parliament.
Party | Name | Electorate | |
---|---|---|---|
National | James Roy | Clutha | |
Duncan Rae | Eden | ||
Jack Watts | Fendalton | ||
Sidney Walter Smith | Hobson | ||
Jimmy Maher | Otaki | ||
Labour | Bill Anderton | Auckland Central | |
Phil Holloway | Heretaunga | ||
Joe Cotterill | Wanganui | ||
Jim Kent | Westland |
The election[]
The date for the main 1960 election was 26 November. 1,310,742 people were registered to vote, and turnout was 89.8%. This turnout was slightly lower than what had been recorded in the previous elections. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.
Results[]
The 1960 election saw the governing Labour Party defeated by a twelve-seat margin, having previously held a two-seat majority. National won a total of 46 seats to Labour's 34 seats, and formed the second National government.[7] In the popular vote, National won 47.59% to Labour's 43.42%.[8]
The Social Credit Party won 8.62% of the vote, but no seats.[9] Three of their candidates missed the nomination deadline, and the opening address of the party leader P. H. Matthews was not noteworthy.
Three new National members of parliament were called the Young Turks: Peter Gordon, Duncan MacIntyre and Robert Muldoon.[10] The other new National MPs were Esme Tombleson, Bill Brown, Harry Lapwood, Logan Sloane, Bert Walker, and Dan Riddiford.[11]
Paddy Blanchfield, Ron Bailey, Norman Douglas and George Spooner entered parliament for Labour.
Election results | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidates | Total votes | Percentage | Seats won | Change | |
National | 80 | 557,046 | 47.6 | 46 | +7 | |
Labour | 80 | 508,179 | 43.4 | 34 | −7 | |
Social Credit | 79 | 100,905 | 8.6 | - | ±0 | |
Communist | 18 | 2,423 | 0.21 | - | ±0 | |
Others | 7 | 1,950 | 0.2 | - | ±0 | |
Total | 269 | 1,170,503 | 80 |
Votes summary[]
The table below shows the results of the 1960 general election:
Key
National Labour Social Credit
Electorate | Incumbent | Winner | Majority | Runner up | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General electorates | |||||||
Ashburton | Geoff Gerard | 2,558 | George Glassey | ||||
Auckland Central | Bill Anderton | Norman Douglas | 1,846 | Ray Presland | |||
Avon | John Mathison | 4,216 | Lorrie Pickering | ||||
Awarua | Gordon Grieve | 3,000 | J P Wyatt | ||||
Bay of Plenty | Percy Allen | 2,411 | Thomas Godfrey Santon | ||||
Buller | Jerry Skinner | 1,546 | Ernie King | ||||
Christchurch Central | Robert Macfarlane | 1,935 | Tom Flint | ||||
Clutha | James Roy | Peter Gordon | 3,863 | J Fahey | |||
Dunedin Central | Phil Connolly | 842 | Norman Scurr | ||||
Dunedin North | Ethel McMillan | 2,475 | Brenda Bell | ||||
Eden | Duncan Rae | John Rae | 1,902 | Russell Gordon Penney | |||
Egmont | William Sheat | 3,933 | J W Watson | ||||
Fendalton | Jack Watts | Harry Lake | 2,722 | Bill Rowling | |||
Franklin | Alfred E. Allen | 5,197 | Howard Preston | ||||
Gisborne | Reginald Keeling | Esme Tombleson | 291 | Reginald Keeling | |||
Grey Lynn | Fred Hackett | 4,596 | Brian Zouch | ||||
Hamilton | Lance Adams-Schneider | 2,583 | Sir Basil Arthur | ||||
Hastings | Ted Keating | Duncan MacIntyre | 300 | Ted Keating | |||
Hauraki | Arthur Kinsella | 2,635 | Albert Clifford Tucker | ||||
Hawkes Bay | Cyril Harker | 3,682 | J G Woolf | ||||
Heretaunga | Phil Holloway | Ron Bailey | 2,576 | Vere Edward Hampson-Tindale | |||
Hobson | Sidney Walter Smith | Logan Sloane | 1,401 | Vernon Cracknell | |||
Hurunui | William Gillespie | 2,731 | Arthur Adcock | ||||
Hutt | Walter Nash | 2,349 | George Llewellyn Barker | ||||
Invercargill | Ralph Hanan | 1,926 | O J Henderson | ||||
Island Bay | Arnold Nordmeyer | 1,791 | Fairlie Fergus Curry | ||||
Karori | Jack Marshall | 4,313 | Olive Smuts-Kennedy | ||||
Lyttelton | Norman Kirk | 260 | Jim Hay | ||||
Manawatu | Blair Tennent | 3,120 | Leonard Thomas Fischer | ||||
Manukau | Leon Götz | 245 | Cyril Stamp | ||||
Marlborough | Tom Shand | 1,747 | Robert William Hope | ||||
Marsden | Don McKay | 4,351 | John Swanson Reid | ||||
Miramar | Bill Fox | 467 | Bernard Lyons | ||||
Mornington | Wally Hudson | 2,246 | George Robert Thorn | ||||
Mount Albert | Warren Freer | 1,676 | Clarice Anderson | ||||
Napier | Jim Edwards | 1,405 | William John Gunn | ||||
Nelson | Stan Whitehead | 1,767 | Colin Wilson Martin | ||||
New Plymouth | Ernest Aderman | 1,693 | Ron Barclay | ||||
North Shore | Dean Eyre | 1,817 | Peter Lawrence Smith | ||||
Onehunga | Hugh Watt | 4,705 | Paul Brian Phillips | ||||
Onslow | Henry May | 790 | Maida Clark | ||||
Otago Central | John George | 4,344 | Brian MacDonell | ||||
Otahuhu | James Deas | 2,774 | Thomas Tucker | ||||
Otaki | Jimmy Maher | Allan McCready | 2,044 | Thomas William Cameron | |||
Pahiatua | Keith Holyoake | 4,934 | Kingsley McKane | ||||
Palmerston North | Philip Skoglund | Bill Brown | 133 | Philip Skoglund[nb 1] | |||
Patea | Roy Jack | 2,304 | David Costello Valley | ||||
Petone | Mick Moohan | 2,918 | Dick Martin | ||||
Piako | Stan Goosman | 5,376 | Henry Uttinger | ||||
Ponsonby | Ritchie Macdonald | 4,744 | Neil McLaughlan | ||||
Raglan | Douglas Carter | 1,371 | Alan Baxter | ||||
Rangitikei | Norman Shelton | 3,889 | Shaun Alex Cameron | ||||
Remuera | Ronald Algie | 6,109 | Barry Gustafson | ||||
Riccarton | Mick Connelly | 2,022 | Deena V. Sergel [13] | ||||
Rodney | Jack Scott | 4,157 | Phil Amos | ||||
Roskill | Arthur Faulkner | 1,374 | Geoffrey Taylor | ||||
Rotorua | Ray Boord | Harry Lapwood | 358 | Ray Boord | |||
Selwyn | John McAlpine | 2,839 | John Palmer | ||||
St Albans | Neville Pickering | Bert Walker | 298 | Neville Pickering | |||
St Kilda | Bill Fraser | 835 | Jim Barnes | ||||
Stratford | Thomas Murray | 4,388 | H M St George | ||||
Sydenham | Mabel Howard | 4,793 | Derek Quigley | ||||
Tamaki | Bob Tizard | Robert Muldoon | 1,148 | Bob Tizard | |||
Tauranga | George Walsh | 5,239 | D C Goodfellow | ||||
Timaru | Clyde Carr | 357 | Ronald Eric White | ||||
Waikato | Geoffrey Sim | 3,041 | Arthur John Ingram | ||||
Waipa | Hallyburton Johnstone | 3,241 | Bob Reese | ||||
Wairarapa | Bert Cooksley | 2,088 | Allan Goldsmith | ||||
Waitakere | Rex Mason | 3,709 | John Herbert Wilkinson | ||||
Waitaki | Thomas Hayman | 1,972 | Les McKay | ||||
Waitemata | Norman King | 1,249 | Jolyon Firth | ||||
Waitomo | David Seath | 3,951 | Duncan Barclay McLaren | ||||
Wallace | Brian Talboys | 5,736 | E Harris | ||||
Wanganui | Joe Cotterill | George Spooner | 160 | E J Crotty | |||
Wellington Central | Frank Kitts | Dan Riddiford | 381 | Frank Kitts | |||
Westland | Jim Kent | Paddy Blanchfield | 3,844 | D A Hogg | |||
Māori electorates | |||||||
Eastern Maori | Tiaki Omana | 3,025 | Arnold Reedy[14] | ||||
Northern Maori | Tapihana Paikea | 3,372 | George Russell Harrison | ||||
Southern Maori | Eruera Tirikatene | 3,947 | Ngarangi Whakaupoko Tutaki | ||||
Western Maori | Iriaka Rātana | 4,666 | Pei Te Hurinui Jones |
Table footnotes:
- ^ Skoglund was first on election night, but lost after special votes were counted
Bibliography[]
- The New Zealand Gazette "Members of the House of Representatives Elected – General Election" (20 December 1960) issue 84 page 2002.
Notes[]
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 80.
- ^ Sinclair 1976, p. 350.
- ^ Sinclair 1976, pp. 349–50.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 82.
- ^ Sinclair 1976, p. 349.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 90.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 288.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 290.
- ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 288, 290.
- ^ "Obituary: Duncan MacIntyre". The New Zealand Herald. 16 June 2001. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 85.
- ^ Norton 1988.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 386.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 383.
References[]
- Chapman, R M; Jackson, W K; Mitchell, A V (1962). New Zealand Politics in Action: the 1960 General Election. London: Oxford University Press.
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
- 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.
- Sinclair, Keith (1976). Walter Nash. Auckland: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-647949-5.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- 1960 New Zealand general election
- November 1960 events in New Zealand