The Marlborough by-election of 1970 was a by-election for the electorate of
Marlborough
Marlborough may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
** Marlborough College, public school
* Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England
* The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England
Austral ...
, held on 21 February 1970 during the
30th New Zealand Parliament
The 30th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1951 New Zealand general election, 1951 general election on 1 September of that year.
1951 general election
The 1951 general election was held on S ...
.
Background
The by-election resulted from the death of
Tom Shand
Thomas Philip Shand (16 April 1911 – 11 December 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.
Biography Early life and career
Shand was born in 1911 in Ngapara, North Otago. His parents were Gilbert Esme Tressillian Shand and Con ...
on 11 December 1969, only 12 days after he (and the government) had been re-elected on 29 November; and the new National candidate was defeated by the greatest swing against a government since the
1935 general election, in what was a largely rural electorate generally regarded a safe
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
seat. Tom Shand had held the seat from 1946, when he defeated Labour’s
Ted Meachen.
Candidates
;Labour
The Labour Party selected
Ian Brooks
Ian James Brooks (21 April 1928 – 20 April 2022) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Early life and career
Brooks was born in Blenheim on 21 April 1928, the son of Ernest Brooks, and was educated at Marlborough College. He w ...
as their candidate. In 1969 he had stood in the electorate.
;National
There were five nominees who came forward for the National Party candidacy:
*Bruno Dalliessi, the Mayor of
Picton
*R. J. Doak, a farmer from
Amberley Amberley may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Amberley, Queensland, near Ipswich, Australia
*RAAF Base Amberley, a Royal Australian Air Force military airbase
United Kingdom
* Amberley, Gloucestershire, England
* Amberley, Herefordshire, England
...
who was National's 1969 campaign manager in
*R. W. Palmer, a farmer from
Wairau Valley
Wairau Valley is the valley of the Wairau River in Marlborough Region, Marlborough, New Zealand and also the name of the main settlement in the upper valley. New Zealand State Highway 63, State Highway 63 runs through the valley. The valley open ...
*Norra Woodbane Pomare, a farmer from
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
who was National's candidate for in 1969
*Anthony "Andy" Shand, a farmer and member of the
Kaikoura County Council – son of the previous member
Shand was chosen to contest the seat at the party selection committee meeting.
;Social Credit
There were two candidates for the
Social Credit Party nomination:
*George Kerr, a farmer from
Seddon
*Jeremy Woodhall, a registered surveyor from
Blenheim
Kerr was selected. It was the seventh consecutive time he had contested the seat, having done so at every previous election since .
Campaign
The vote for Tom Shand had been close in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
. Labour only decided that the seat was winnable in January, and sent in two MPs
Arthur Faulkner and
Colin Moyle
Colin James Moyle (born 18 July 1929) is a former politician of the New Zealand Labour Party who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1963 to 1976 and again from 1981 to 1990. He was a Government minister in the Third Labour and Fourth ...
to organise the campaign. Labour's candidate, Brooks, was local; he was a senior clerk in the
Picton manual telephone exchange and also had a small farm. The seat was largely rural, but Brooks polled particularly well in Picton, and well in the other two population centres,
Blenheim and
Kaikōura
Kaikōura () is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, 180 km north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of (as of ).
The town is the government ...
. At the end of the campaign there was some criticism of Andy Shand for frequent "butting-in" during a combined television broadcast appearance for all the candidates on Wednesday 17 February.
Results
The following table gives the election results:
The election-night margin to Labour of 1131 was so great that the final result was not expected to change when special votes, which generally tended to go to National, were counted. There were 32 informal votes.
George Chapman
George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...
was the Wellington
National Party chairman. He heard reports that all was not well in the campaign, the party was in deep trouble, and that Labour was making an all-out effort. But he found that party president
Ned Holt was complacent about the by-election; saying that everything was in order, and that in any case National's majority in Marlborough was big enough to absorb any setback. But on by-election night Labour inflicted a stunning defeat on National, reducing the Government majority from six to four, and shaking party confidence. Chapman became the leader for change in the organisation, resulting in his nomination for party president in 1971, although he did not become president until 1973.
Despite winning a surprise victory in 1969, National was so embarrassed from the by-election defeat it triggered the media to seriously speculate about Prime Minister
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, (; 11 February 1904 – 8 December 1983) was the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also the 13th governor-general of New Zealand, serving from 1977 ...
's retirement.
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marlborough By-Election, 1970
Marlborough 1970
1970 elections in New Zealand
Politics of the Marlborough Region
February 1970 events in New Zealand