The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the
New Zealand Parliament
The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand ( King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by h ...
's
31st term. It saw the governing
National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority. It also saw the debut of the new
Social Credit Party, which won more than eleven percent of the vote but failed to win a seat.
Background
The
National Party had formed its first administration after the
1949 elections. It had then been re-elected by a large margin amid the industrial disputes of the
1951 election. The
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
,
Sidney Holland, was popular in many sectors of society for his strong line against striking
dockworker
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number ...
s and
coalminers, while Labour's leader,
Walter Nash
Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...
, had been criticised for his failure to take a firm stand on the issue. Labour was troubled by internal disputes, with Nash subjected to an
unsuccessful leadership challenge only a few months before the election. For the election, the National government adopted a "steady as she goes" approach, saying that the country was in good hands and did not need any major policy realignments.
The election
The date for the main 1954 elections was 13 November. 1,209,670 people were registered to vote, and
turnout was 91.4%. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.
The following new (or reconstituted) electorates were introduced in 1954:
Heretaunga, ,
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...
,
Stratford,
Waipa Waipa may refer to:
New Zealand
* Waipa (New Zealand electorate), a former electorate
* Waipa District, a territorial local authority
* Waipā River, a waterway
Elsewhere
* World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies
The World Associatio ...
and
Waitemata. Two candidates, both called John Stewart, came second; in for National and in for Labour.
MPs retiring in 1954
Ten MPs retired at the election, see cartoon.
Paddy Kearins
Patrick Kearins (14 July 1894 - 7 September 1974) was a Member of Parliament for , in the North Island of New Zealand.
Biography Early life and career
Kearins was born 14 July 1894 to Patrick Kearins. He became a farmer in Kopaki and in Oct ...
also left parliament at the election. His electorate of was abolished and he failed to gain selection to stand for Labour in the replacement electorate of . Two Labour MPs had announced their intention to retire at the 1954 election (
Harry Combs MP for
Onslow and
Arthur Osborne MP for
Onehunga
Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...
) but died before the end of the parliament.
Results
The 1954 election saw the governing
National Party re-elected with a ten-seat margin (and fewer votes than Labour), a drop from the twenty-seat margin it previously held. National won forty-five seats to the
Labour Party's thirty-five. The popular vote was much closer, however, with the two parties separated by only 0.2%. No seats were won by minor party candidates or by independents, but the new
Social Credit Party managed to win 11.2% of the vote, and it can be argued that Social Credit saved the National Government by providing an alternative to Labour and so minimising the two-party swing.
Votes summary
The table below shows the results of the 1954 general election:
Key
, -
, colspan=8 style="background-color:#FFDEAD" , General electorates
, -
, -
,
Hauraki
Hauraki is a suburb located on the southern North Shore of Auckland, the largest metropolitan city in New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council.
History
The traditional name for the western coastline in Hauraki wa ...
, style="background-color:;" ,
, style="text-align:center;" ,
Andy Sutherland
, style="background-color:;" ,
, style="text-align:center;background-color:;" ,
Arthur Kinsella
, style="text-align:right;" , 2,659
, style="background-color:;" ,
, style="text-align:center;" , Brevat William Dynes
, -
, -
, colspan=8 style="background-color:#FFDEAD" ,
Māori electorates
In New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially known as the Māori seats, are a special category of electorate that give reserved positions to representatives of Māori in the New Zealand Parliament. Every area in New Zealand is ...
, -
;Table footnotes
Notes
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:1954 New Zealand general election