 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 9,842 (79.50%) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The 1930 Invercargill by-election was a by-election during the 23rd New Zealand Parliament in the Southland electorate of Invercargill. The by-election occurred following the death of Sir Joseph Ward on 8 July 1930. The by-election, which was held on 13 August, was won by the late Prime Minister's second son, Vincent Ward against James Hargest.
Sir Joseph Ward had suffered a defeat in the 1919 election, was ageing and often of poor health. It was generally expected that his political career was over. He attempted a comeback but suffered a humiliating defeat in the 1923 by-election in the Tauranga electorate. He managed to get re-elected in the Invercargill electorate in the 1925 election, when he had a "wafer-thin 159-vote victory" over James Hargest of the Reform Party. [1]
Sir Joseph contested the 1928 election as the new leader of the United Party [1] against the solicitor Stanley Morell Macalister (known as Morell Macalister), who stood for Reform. [2] [3] Soon after the 1928 election, Sir Joseph became Prime Minister for the second time. Under pressure from party colleagues, he resigned as Prime Minister due to ill health in May 1930. Sir Joseph died less than two months later on 8 July. [1]
Over the last years, Vincent Ward had acted as a political assistant to his father. [1] He was nominated by the United Party in the resulting by-election, which was held on 13 August. [4] His selection was not supported by all, and some had preferred William Hinchey, a former Mayor of Bluff. [5] [6]
Ward Jr. was opposed by James Hargest, who had been narrowly beaten by Ward Sr. in the 1925 general election. [7] Hargest was regarded as a capable candidate, and he dealt with being heckled in large meetings quite well. [5] Hargest claimed that as a director of a North Island company, Ward as an absentee could not effectively represent the Invercargill electorate. Hargest also appealed to Labour voters that he worked as hard as they did. He defended himself against the view that it should be Ward's right to succeed his father. [8]
Just before nominations closed, the independent candidate William Hinchey withdrew from the contest. [9] The local Labour Party branch apparently had decided on the Rev John Archer, at the time the Mayor of Christchurch, as their first choice. Second choice was William Denham an Invercargill City Councillor (who was elected as Invercargill's MP in 1935). Then, Tom O'Byrne was considered as a candidate. It is unclear why the decision was made not to stand a candidate. [10] [11]
Election meetings were well attended. Hargest had over 2000 attendees at his last meeting in the town hall. [12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United | Sir Joseph Ward | 7,309 | 63.89 | +16.98 | |
| Reform | Morell Macalister | 4,131 | 36.11 | ||
| Majority | 3,178 | 27.78 | +26.27 | ||
| Informal votes | 88 | 0.76 | +0.25 | ||
| Turnout | 11,528 | ||||
Hargest was beaten in by Ward Jr., who had a majority of 571 votes (5.82%). [14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United | Vincent Ward | 5,194 | 52.91 | ||
| Reform | James Hargest | 4,623 | 47.09 | ||
| Majority | 571 | 5.82 | |||
| Informal votes | 25 | 0.25 | −0.51 | ||
| Turnout | 9,842 | 79.50 | −13.62 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,380 | ||||
Vincent Ward retired at the end of the term in 1931. [4] Hargest won the 1931 election in the Invercargill electorate and remained an MP until his death in 1944. [15] Ward was called to the Legislative Council in 1934 and served there until his death in 1946. [16]
The 1931 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 24th term. It resulted in the newly formed coalition between the United Party and the Reform Party remaining in office as the United–Reform Coalition Government, although the opposition Labour Party made some minor gains despite tallying more votes than any other single party.
The 1925 New Zealand general election was held 4 November to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 22nd session of the New Zealand Parliament.
The 1928 New Zealand general election was held on 13 and 14 November in the Māori and European electorates, respectively, to elect 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament.
Brigadier James Hargest, was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces, serving in both the First and Second World Wars. He was a Member of New Zealand's Parliament from 1931 to 1944, representing firstly the Invercargill and then the Awarua electorates.
The Tauranga by-election of 1923 was a by-election during the 21st New Zealand Parliament in the Tauranga electorate. The seat became vacant due to the death of the sitting Member, William Herries. The election was held on 28 March 1923 and won by Charles Macmillan, who defeated the former prime minister Joseph Ward.
Invercargill is an electorate of the New Zealand Parliament that has existed since 1866. Since the 2020 election, the electorate's representative is Penny Simmonds of the National Party.
Sir George Hunter was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party. Born in Wellington, he took over his father's large landholding in the Hawke's Bay at age 18. He was a breeder of sheep and race horses, with his horse Cynisca winning the Wellington Cup three times in a row. Hunter was prominent in local politics, and represented the Waipawa electorate in the House of Representatives for a total of 22 years.
George Charles Cecil Black was a member of the House of Representatives for Motueka electorate, in the South Island of New Zealand, initially as a representative of the United Party and from early 1931 as an Independent. He committed suicide and was succeeded as MP by Keith Holyoake.
Bay of Islands is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed during various periods between 1853 and 1993. It was thus one of the original 24 electoral districts, and New Zealand's first ever MP was elected, although unopposed, in the Bay of Islands; Hugh Carleton thus liked to be called the Father of the House.
Awarua was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate from 1881 to 1996.
Timaru was a parliamentary electorate, in New Zealand's South Island. It existed continuously from 1861 to 1996 and was represented by eleven Members of Parliament.
Wairau was a parliamentary electorate in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand. It was one of the initial 24 New Zealand electorates and existed from 1853 until its abolition in 1938, when it was succeeded by the Marlborough electorate. The electorate had 13 representatives during its existence. The 1861 election in the Wairau electorate was notable in that a later Premier, Frederick Weld, was unexpectedly and narrowly defeated by William Henry Eyes.
The 22nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. Its composition was determined by the 1925 election, and it sat until the 1928 election.
Waipawa was a parliamentary electorate in the Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand, from 1881 to 1946.
Wellington East was a parliamentary electorate in the eastern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand from 1887 to 1890 and from 1905 to 1946. It was succeeded by the Miramar electorate. The electorate was represented by seven Members of Parliament.
Cuthbert Cowan was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from Southland, New Zealand.
The 23rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1928 general election in November of that year.
The 1878 Invercargill by-election was a by-election during the 6th New Zealand Parliament in the Southland electorate of Invercargill. The by-election occurred following the resignation of MP George Lumsden and was won by Henry Feldwick.
Thomas Francis Doyle (1893–1968) was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1936 to 1950.
This is a summary of the electoral history of Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister of New Zealand, Leader of the Liberal Party and Member of Parliament for Awarua (1887–1919) and Invercargill (1925–1930).
