The 1968 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1968, election were held for the

Mayor of Christchurch The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Ph ...

plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard

first-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...

electoral method.

Background

Sitting mayor George Manning retired leaving an open field to succeed him. The election saw councillor

Ron Guthrey Albert Ronald Guthrey (15 January 1916 – 8 September 2008) was a New Zealand local politician. He served as a Christchurch City Councillor for 22 years before being elected Mayor of Christchurch. He was a World War II veteran and he and his ...

of the Citizens' Association defeat former Labour councillor and MP for Avon

John Mathison John Mathison (29 September 1901 – 12 October 1982) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was famed for his skills as a chairman and well known for his "unmistakably Scottish" accent, eloquent speeches and dry sense of humour ...

. Labour lost ground on the city council as well, losing four seats leaving the composition of the council at three seats to sixteen in favour of the Citizens' Association.

Mayoralty results

The following table gives the election results:

Councillor results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christchurch Mayoral Election, 1968 Mayoral elections in Christchurch 1968 elections in New Zealand Politics of Christchurch October 1968 events in New Zealand 1960s in Christchurch