The 1872 Egmont by-election was a by-election held on 3 October 1872 during the 5th New Zealand Parliament in the Taranaki electorate of Egmont.
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent MP William Gisborne, who had been appointed Commissioner for the Government Life Insurance Office.
The by-election was won by future Premier Harry Atkinson, who was returning to politics to defeat a candidate allied with William Fox; saying he would "not see a Foxite get in". He also opposed Julius Vogel, also a supporter of Māori land rights, for his reckless borrowing (see The Vogel Era).
Atkinson was opposed by William Sefton Moorhouse, a personal friend of Fox and supporter of Vogel's Public Works policy. Atkinson and Ballance both supported Edward Stafford.
Future Premier John Ballance had considered entering national politics by standing here but withdrew. Ballance's campaign lasted ten days, starting with a meeting at Patea on 18 September when he spoke for over three hours, a wonderfully good speech. Atkinson was present at his Hawera meeting. So Ballance decided to withdraw in favour of Atkinson as Atkinson and Moorhouse were much more experienced candidates. He had the excuse that "about 80" freeholders in Patea had been rejected from enrolling (later found to be 58 rejections as against 15 in 1871, probably from mistakes in proving their entitlement as landowners). Atkinson won with a slim margin of 24 votes and his vote in Patea (46 to 17) was critical. [1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Harry Atkinson | 114 | 55.88 | ||
| Independent | William Sefton Moorhouse | 90 | 44.12 | ||
| Turnout | 204 | ||||
| Majority | 24 | 1.76 | |||
John Ballance was an Irish-born New Zealand politician who was the 14th premier of New Zealand, from January 1891 to April 1893, the founder of the Liberal Party, and a Georgist. In 1890 he led his party to its first election victory, forming the first New Zealand government along party lines, but died in office three years later. Ballance supported votes for women. He also supported land reform, though at considerable cost to Māori.
Sir Harry Albert Atkinson served as the tenth premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years. He was responsible for guiding the country during a time of economic depression, and was known as a cautious and prudent manager of government finances, though distrusted for some policies such as his 1882 National Insurance (welfare) scheme and leasehold land schemes. He also participated in the formation of voluntary military units to fight in the New Zealand Wars, and was noted for his strong belief in the need for seizure of Māori land.
Sir Robert Stout was a New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both these offices. He was noted for his support of liberal causes such as women's suffrage, and for his strong belief that philosophy and theory should always triumph over political expediency.
William Sefton Moorhouse was a British-born New Zealand politician. He was the second Superintendent of Canterbury Province.
Women's suffrage was an important political issue in the late-nineteenth-century New Zealand. In early colonial New Zealand, as in European societies, women were excluded from any involvement in politics. Public opinion began to change in the latter half of the nineteenth century and after years of effort by women's suffrage campaigners, led by Kate Sheppard, New Zealand became the first nation in the world in which all women had the right to vote in parliamentary elections.
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The 4th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.
The 5th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. Elections for this term were held in 68 European electorates between 14 January and 23 February 1871. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 15 January 1871. A total of 78 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in December 1875. During the term of this Parliament, six Ministries were in power.
The 1954 Patea by election was held on 31 July during the 30th New Zealand Parliament, and was caused by the resignation of incumbent National MP, William Sheat.
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The 21 June 1875 Wairau by-election was a by-election held in the Wairau electorate in the Marlborough Province during the 5th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP Arthur Seymour and was won by Joseph Ward, who defeated William Sefton Moorhouse. Ward was a well-known politician in Marlborough. Moorhouse had political seniority over Ward and was at the time Mayor of Wellington, but had no personal connection to Marlborough.
