Nelson by-election, 1976

Nelson by-election, 1976
28 February 1976
Turnout 17,470 (66.0%)

 
Candidate Mel Courtney Peter Malone
Party Labour National
Popular vote 8,418 6,913
Percentage 48.4 39.7
Member before election

Stanley Whitehead
Labour

 Elected Member

Mel Courtney
Labour

The Nelson by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Nelson a predominantly urban seat at the top of the South Island.

Background and campaign

The by-election occurred on 28 February 1976, and was precipitated by the death of sitting Labour Party MP and Speaker of the House Sir Stanley Whitehead on 9 January 1976.

The by-election was contested by all major parties. It was won by Mel Courtney, the Labour Party candidate, with a majority of 1505 (Courtney increased the majority Whitehead had achieved in the 1975 general election by an impressive 50 per cent-only three months after the National Party's landslide victory). Wellington's Dominion newspaper reported that: "The defeat was a shock to the super-confident National Party organisers, including some of the party's top officials who were predicting a 2000-vote National majority".[1]

Mel Courtney, a 32-year-old supermarket proprietor, proved "an excellent choice" as a candidate, the victory at the polls vindicated the decision of the Labour Party's selection committee. Courtney stressed Nelson's needs as a community as the major theme of his campaign. He had "lived in Nelson for a number of years", was a Nelson City Councillor[2] and struck a chord with electors: "Nelson is a unique place to live and consequently a local person (Mr Courtney) can best serve local interests" (1976 Survey).

Results

The following table gives the election results:

Nelson by-election, 1976[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Mel Courtney 8,418 48.4
National Peter Malone 6,913 39.7
Values Gwen Struik 1,583 9.1
Social Credit Rudolph Muller 452 2.6
Imperial British Conservative C P Weallens 38 0.2
Majority 1,505 8.7
Informal votes 66
Turnout 17,470 66.0
Registered electors 22,105
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ The Dominion, 1 March 1976
  2. ↑ The Evening Post, 14 February 1976
  3. ↑ Norton 1988, p. 286.

References

  • 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.
  • "The Nelson By-Election: Politics in a New Zealand Community" by Levine, S (ed.) in Politics in New Zealand: A Reader (Sydney: George Allen and Unwin, Australia, 1978)
  • "Spending the Allowance" p. 49 in Political People by Dreaver, A.J. (Auckland: Longman Paul, New Zealand, 1978)
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