The Taranaki by-election of 1918 was a by-election in the electorate on the west coast of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. It was held during the 19th New Zealand Parliament, on 10 October 1918. It was caused by the death of incumbent MP

Henry Okey Henry James Hobbs Okey (28 May 1857 – 13 September 1918) was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Early life and family Born in New Plymouth in 1857, Okey was the son of Edward Okey, an ironmonger. His brothers included Edward ...

of the Reform Party and was won by

Sydney George Smith Sydney George Smith (19 January 1879 – 21 May 1943) was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party and then the National Party, and a cabinet minister. Early life Smith was born in New Plymouth in 1879. His parents were the MHR Edward ...

, the son of previous Taranaki MP

Edward Smith Ed, Eddie, Edgar, Edward, Edwin, and similar, surnamed Smith, may refer to: Military * Edward H. Smith (sailor) (1889–1961), United States Coast Guard admiral, oceanographer and Arctic explorer *Edward Smith (VC) (1898–1940), English recipient ...

, who stood as an independent Labour candidate. Smith supported the war effort unlike most Labour politicians, gaining him support of voters who likewise supported the war.

Result

The following table gives the election results:

Notes

References

* Taran 1918 elections in New Zealand Politics of Taranaki October 1918 events {{NewZealand-election-stub