 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 30,167 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The Christchurch mayoral by-election in 1936 was triggered by the resignation of the incumbent, Dan Sullivan, who had been appointed cabinet minister after the Labour Party winning the general election in November 1935. The election was won by John Beanland of the Citizens' Association, who narrowly beat the Labour candidate.
Sullivan was first elected mayor of Christchurch in 1931, when he beat William Hayward. [1] The Labour Party won the November 1935 general election and Sullivan was appointed cabinet minister. Sullivan reluctantly resigned from the mayoralty in February 1936, as the heavy workload of a cabinet minister was incompatible with remaining mayor. [2] [3] After a conference with the Citizens' Association, Sullivan's resignation date was agreed on to achieve a by-election date that suited all parties. [4] There was a desire to hold only one by-election, and not also another one necessary by one of the councillors contesting the mayoral election then causing a vacancy. This required councillors wishing to stand to resign at the same time as the mayor. The mayor's resignation would result in a mayoral by-election at a date set by statute, and the resignation would take immediate effect. The deputy-mayor, John Beanland of the Citizens' Association, was one of the contenders, and to avoid that the city was both without a mayor and deputy-mayor for a period of time, Beanland needed to resign as deputy-mayor before the mayor, so that a new deputy could be appointed by the city councillors before the mayor himself resigned. [5] Beanland resigned as deputy-mayor in early February, and Ernest Andrews was appointed in his place. [6] Councillor John Archer was confirmed as Labour's candidate; he had previously been mayor from 1925 to 1931. [7] The resignations of Sullivan as mayor, and Beanland (Citizens' Association) and Archer (Labour) as city councillors, were handed in on 14 February, triggering a by-election for 11 March. [8] Councillor Charles Edward Jones also resigned due to illness, thus creating a third vacancy amongst the city councillors. [8]
John Beanland was a building contractor. Born and raised in Victoria, Australia, he moved to Christchurch with his wife and children in the early 1890s. Active in many clubs and on various committees, he was first elected as a Christchurch city councillor in 1914 for the conservative Citizens' Association. [9] He first stood for mayor in 1921 when he was defeated by the incumbent, Henry Thacker. [10] His next mayoral campaign in 1925 caused a serious rift within the Citizens' Association, and he ended up standing as an independent against three others, including the official candidate of the Citizens' Association and incumbent mayor, James Arthur Flesher. [11] [12] This vote splitting in 1925 helped Labour's John Archer win the mayoralty. [13] [14] Beanland stood for the Reform Party in the 1928 general election in Lyttelton but was unsuccessful against the incumbent. [15]
Rev John Archer was a Baptist minister and Labour Party politician. He was the foundation president of the Invercargill WEA (Workers' Educational Association) in 1915 and president of the Baptist Union of New Zealand from 1916 to 1918. The Baptist Church transferred him to Christchurch in 1919. [16] He was active in the Labour Party from its beginnings and was vice-president for many years, and president in 1928–29. He had stood in various electorates for the general elections of 1919, 1922, 1928, and 1931. He was a Christchurch city councillor from 1921 and had previously served on the Invercargill Borough council. [16] He had first stood for mayor in the 1925 election mentioned above [13] and was successful due to vote splitting by the Citizens' Association candidates. He won the subsequent elections in 1927 and 1929 and retired in 1931 in favour of Sullivan. [16]
Hills was an independent Labour candidate. He had not previously served as a Christchurch city councillor [17] but had stood in the Lyttelton electorate by-elections in 1933 and 1935, on both occasions polling just over 2% of the votes. [18] [19]
In addition to the mayoral election, there were three vacancies amongst the Christchurch city councillors to be filled. Seven candidates came forward: three representing the Citizens' Association (Hugh Acland, James Maling, and James Carter), three representing the Labour Party (Robert Macfarlane, John Mathison, and George Manning), and one independent (Berthold Ahlfeld). [20]
The election was held on Wednesday, 11 March 1936, from 9am to 7pm. The first-past-the-post voting system was used. There were 17 polling booths in Christchurch Central, 17 polling booths across Linwood, Bromley, and Woolston, 19 polling booths across St Albans, Papanui, and Richmond, 23 polling booths across Sydenham and Spreydon, and 1 polling booth in Lyttelton. [21] Beanland narrowly won the mayoral election over Archer, with Hills receiving less than 2% of the votes. [22] [23] This was the first time since the 1925 mayoral election that the mayoralty did not go to the Labour candidate. [21]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | John Beanland | 15,141 | 50.60 | ||
| Labour | John Archer | 14,310 | 47.82 | ||
| Independent Labour | Edward Leslie Hills | 472 | 1.58 | ||
| Informal votes | 244 | 0.80 | |||
| Majority | 831 | 2.78 | |||
| Turnout | 30,167 | ||||
In the by-election for vacant city council positions, Acland, Macfarlane and Manning were successful. [20] Beanland and the new councillors were sworn in on 16 March. [24]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | Hugh Acland | 15,749 | 52.19 | ||
| Labour | Robert Macfarlane | 14,800 | 49.05 | +9.64 | |
| Labour | George Manning | 14,689 | 48.68 | +6.53 | |
| Citizens' | James Maling | 13,896 | 46.05 | +3.47 | |
| Labour | John Mathison | 13,465 | 44.62 | +6.08 | |
| Citizens' | James Carter | 11,792 | 39.08 | +0.94 | |
| Independent | Berthold Ahlfeld | 1,390 | 4.60 | ||
| Informal votes | 711 | 2.35 | |||
| Majority | 793 | 2.62 | |||
| Turnout | 30,173 | ||||
At the end of his mayoral term, Beanland failed to get the nomination from the Citizens' Association for the 1938 mayoral election, but Dr. John Guthrie was chosen instead. [26] [27] Guthrie was beaten by Labour's Robert Macfarlane. [28]
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister after defeating the governing coalition, consisting of the United Party and the Reform Party, in a landslide.
Daniel Giles Sullivan was a New Zealand Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Mayor of Christchurch.
James (Jimmy) McCombs was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton.
Neville George Pickering was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Avon is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was created for the 1861 general election and existed until 1996. It was represented by 13 Members of Parliament and was held by Independents, Liberal Party or Labour Party representatives.
John Walton Beanland was a building contractor and Mayor of Christchurch from 1936 to 1938.
The 1935 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 8 May. The incumbent, Dan Sullivan of the Labour Party narrowly beat the conservative candidate, Hugh Acland, a surgeon and World War I veteran. The election attracted nationwide attention, as Christchurch was a Labour-stronghold and due to Acland's widespread popularity, it was regarded as a test whether Labour could potentially win the November 1935 general election.
The 1944 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1944, election were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1980 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1980, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1941 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1941, elections were held for the Mayor of Auckland plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The Christchurch mayoral election held on 27 November 1895 was contested by city councillors Howell Widdowson and Harry Beswick. Both candidates were young solicitors with few prior civic roles. Initially, the incumbent mayor—Walter Cooper—was one of the candidates but he withdrew. Widdowson attracted some controversy over the question whether he put his nomination forward ahead of a more senior city councillor; many voters still expected at the time that a mayoralty should be assigned to the most senior councillor. Another important issue for many voters was that Widdowson was a tee-totaller and was thus regarded as a prohibitionist, with Beswick seen as the representative of the liquor lobby. Beswick won the election with a clear majority and was installed as mayor of Christchurch on 18 December 1895.
The 1958 Christchurch mayoral election was held to elect a successor to Robert Macfarlane who resigned as Mayor of Christchurch upon his selection as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1959 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1959, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1971 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1971, elections were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method. The incumbent, Ron Guthrey of the Citizens' ticket, was defeated by the Labour Party candidate Neville Pickering.
The 1986 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1986, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1938 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 11 May. The incumbent, John Beanland of the Citizens' Association, failed to get the nomination by his party and the surgeon Dr. John Guthrie was nominated instead. The Labour Party nominated Robert Macfarlane. Both the Labour and conservative candidate had been members of Christchurch City Council for some years. Macfarlane narrowly won the mayoralty.
The 1941 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 17 May. The incumbent, Robert Macfarlane of the Labour Party, did not stand for re-election as he wanted to serve in WWII. Four candidates stood and Ernest Andrews of the conservative Citizens' Association was successful. Andrews was installed on 28 May 1941.
The Mayor of Lyttelton was the head of the municipal government of Lyttelton, New Zealand. The position existed from 1868, when the Borough of Lyttelton was formed.
The 1944 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 27 May. The incumbent was Ernest Andrews of the conservative Citizens' Association. Andrews was challenged by his predecessor, Robert Macfarlane, of the Labour Party, who had returned from active war service. Andrews won by a large majority.
The 1933 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1933, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus 16 councillors and other local government positions.
