 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 11,905 (76.36%) | |||||||||||||||
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 Christchurch South electorate boundaries used for the by-election | ||||||||||||||||
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The 1939 Christchurch South by-election held on 3 June was caused by the death of Ted Howard during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Christchurch South electorate was contested by Robert Macfarlane for Labour and Melville Lyons for National, with Macfarlane winning the election. At the time, Macfarlane was Mayor of Christchurch.
Since the first election of Ted Howard in the 1919 general election, Christchurch South was held by the Labour Party. [1] At the last general election in 1938, Howard had polled 9,885 votes versus 3,890 votes for Gladstone Ward, the son of former Prime Minister Joseph Ward. [1] [2] When Howard died on 26 April 1939, [3] the electorate was thus regarded as a safe seat for Labour. [1]
On nomination day, two candidates were put forward, Robert Macfarlane for the Labour Party and Melville Lyons for the National Party. [4] Mabel Howard, Ted Howard's daughter, had hoped to be put forward by the Labour Party, and she was endorsed by the local branch of the party. [5] The national executive of the Labour Party chose Macfarlane, and Howard believed that she was opposed by the party's hierarchy due to her connections to John A. Lee, who was seen as a radical within the party. [6] The chosen candidate, Macfarlane, had been Mayor of Christchurch since the previous year. [7]
Results of the Christchurch South general election held on 15 October 1938 were: [2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ted Howard | 9,885 | 71.76 | ||
| National | Gladstone Ward | 3,890 | 28.24 | ||
| Majority | 5,995 | 43.52 | |||
| Turnout | 13,775 | ||||
Results of the by-election held on 3 June 1939 were: [8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Robert Macfarlane | 7,900 | 66.36 | ||
| National | Melville Lyons | 4,005 | 33.64 | ||
| Majority | 3,895 | 32.72 | -10.80 | ||
| Turnout | 11,905 | 76.36 [9] | |||
There were 20 polling booths and Lyons obtained a majority at only two of those (at Kilmore Street and at the Provincial Chambers in Durham Street). Macfarlane could increase the Labour vote at one polling booth only (Antigua Street in Sydenham). [10] Macfarlane stated that in his belief, about 2,000 Labour Party supporters did not vote because the outcome of the election was a foregone conclusion. [11] This view was disputed in an editorial by The Evening Post , arguing that the reduced Labour support is due to Howard's popularity that Macfarlane does not possess despite many high-profile politicians having campaigned on Labour's behalf, and that it is more likely that National supporters have suffered from apathy, as Lyons never had any hope of winning the election. [12]
Macfarlane held the electorate until its abolition at the 1946 general election and subsequently Christchurch Central [13] until the 1969 general election, when he retired.
Mabel Bowden Howard was a well-known New Zealand trade unionist and politician. She was the first woman secretary of a predominantly male union.
Sir Robert Mafeking Macfarlane was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was a Member of Parliament, served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and was a Mayor of Christchurch.
Christchurch East, originally called Christchurch City East, is a current New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created for the 1871 election and was abolished for two periods, from 1875–1905 and again from 1946–1996. It was last created for the introduction of the MMP voting system for the 1996 election. The current MP is Reuben Davidson, a member of the New Zealand Labour Party who was first elected in the 2023 New Zealand general election.
Nelson is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives of New Zealand. From 1853 to 1860, the electorate was called Town of Nelson. From 1860 to 1881, it was City of Nelson. The electorate is the only one that has continuously existed since the 1st Parliament in 1853.
James (Jimmy) McCombs was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton.
Ted Howard, born as Edwin John Harney, was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and the father of cabinet minister Mabel Howard. He had been a prominent member of the New Zealand Socialist Party, a precursor to the Labour Party.
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Christchurch South was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890 and then from 1905 to 1946.
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The Lyttelton by-election of 1933 was a by-election held during the 24th New Zealand Parliament in the Christchurch electorate of Lyttelton. It is notable for being won by Elizabeth McCombs of the New Zealand Labour Party, who became the first woman to be elected to the New Zealand Parliament. This by-election was therefore seen as a milestone in Women's suffrage in New Zealand.
The 1943 Christchurch East by-election held on 6 February was caused by the death of Tim Armstrong during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Christchurch East electorate was contested by five candidates, including representatives from the Labour Party, the Labour breakaway party Democratic Labour Party and the National Party. The election was won by the Labour candidate, Mabel Howard, and started her long parliamentary career, which included her becoming the first female cabinet minister in 1947.
The 16th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1905 general election in December of that year.
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 26th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1938 general election in October of that year.
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 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.
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