 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 13,035 (84.43%) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The 1947 Avon by-election was a by-election held during the 28th New Zealand Parliament in the Christchurch electorate of Avon. The by-election occurred following the death of MP Dan Sullivan and was won by John Mathison.
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 13,035 (84.43%) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The 1947 Avon by-election was a by-election held during the 28th New Zealand Parliament in the Christchurch electorate of Avon. The by-election occurred following the death of MP Dan Sullivan and was won by John Mathison.
Dan Sullivan, who was first elected to represent Avon for the Labour Party in 1919, died on 8 April 1947. [1] This triggered the Avon by-election, which occurred on 28 May 1947. [2]
There were six nominations for the Labour Party nomination: [3]
Two other expected candidates, Jack Roberts and Alan Sharp, declined nomination. Roberts, president of both the North Canterbury Labour Representation Committee and Canterbury Trades Council of the Federation of Labour, committed himself to union activities while Sharp (who was Labour's candidate for Selwyn in 1946) wished to run in Selwyn again at the next general election. With Roberts' declination Mathison was seen as the frontrunner for the nomination. [4] Mathison was subsequently selected as Labour's nominee. [5]
Dr. Robert Alexander McDowell, a medical doctor from Kaiapoi and representative of the Canterbury division on the council of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, was the only nominee for the National Party candidacy. He was National candidate for Avon in 1946. [6] [7]
John Ramby Robertson was an independent candidate. Robertson was a member of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) but his nomination was refused endorsement by DLP leader John A. Lee. [8] Robertson had stood unsuccessfully as a DLP candidate for the Christchurch City Council in 1944. [9]
The Communist Party decided not to put forward a candidate. The party's Christchurch secretary, Jack Locke, stated his party had no wish to embarrass the Government (whose policies they mostly supported) by drawing away votes. [10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Dan Sullivan | 9,539 | 68.64 | +7.44 | |
| National | Robert Alexander McDowell | 4,359 | 31.36 | ||
| Majority | 5,180 | 37.27 | +5.83 | ||
| Turnout | 13,898 | 92.74 | +2.11 | ||
| Registered electors | 15,092 | ||||
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John Mathison | 8,513 | 65.31 | ||
| National | Robert Alexander McDowell | 4,422 | 33.92 | +2.56 | |
| Independent | John Ramby Robertson | 100 | 0.77 | ||
| Majority | 4,091 | 31.38 | −5.89 | ||
| Turnout | 13,035 | 84.43 | −9.31 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | −3.33 | |||
Mathison obtained 65.31% of the votes and was successful. [11]
The Christchurch Central by-election of 1979 was a by-election during the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It was prompted by the death of Bruce Barclay, a Labour Party MP, and resulted in Geoffrey Palmer, also of the Labour Party, being elected to replace him for the seat of Christchurch Central. Palmer would eventually go on to become Prime Minister. The by-election was somewhat embarrassing for the National Party, whose candidate was pushed into third place by Social Credit's Terry Heffernan.
Frederick William Schramm was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was the eleventh Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1944 to 1946.
Daniel Giles Sullivan was a New Zealand Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Mayor of Christchurch.
Rakaia was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region from 1972 to 1978 and 1993 to 2008.
Selwyn is a current electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives, composed of towns on the outskirts of Christchurch city. The electorate was first formed for the 1866 election and has been abolished three times during its history. It was last re-established for the 2008 election and has been held by Nicola Grigg for the National Party since the 2020 election.
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 McLachlan was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Ashburton in the South Island.
James Begg Kent was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament and was both a borough councillor and deputy mayor of Greymouth.
John Mathison was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was famed for his skills as a chairman and well known for his "unmistakably Scottish" accent, eloquent speeches and dry sense of humour.
The Timaru by-election of 1985 was a by-election for the electorate of Timaru during the term of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It was triggered by the death of Sir Basil Arthur on 1 May 1985. Sir Basil was Speaker of the House, and had inherited the rank of baronet from his father in 1949.
Sir George Manning was Mayor of Christchurch from 1958 to October 1968, when he retired. He served a total of 34 years on the Christchurch City Council.
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.
Denis John O'Rourke is a former New Zealand politician. He served fifteen years as a councillor on Christchurch City Council, and served six years as a Member of Parliament representing New Zealand First.
The Sydenham by-election 1974 was a by-election held in the Sydenham electorate during the term of the 37th New Zealand Parliament on 2 November 1974. Eight candidates stood in total.
The Fendalton by-election of 1967 was a by-election for the electorate of Fendalton on 15 April 1967 during the 35th New Zealand Parliament.
The 1947 Mount Albert by-election was a by-election held during the 28th New Zealand Parliament in the Auckland electorate of Mount Albert. The by-election occurred following the death of MP Arthur Richards and was won by Warren Freer.
The 1947 Westland by-election was a by-election held during the 28th New Zealand Parliament in the South Island electorate of Westland. The by-election occurred following the death of MP James O'Brien and was won by Jim Kent.
The Hurunui by-election 1961 was a by-election held in the Hurunui electorate in North Canterbury during the term of the 33rd New Zealand Parliament, on 10 June 1961.
Patrick Thomas Curran was a New Zealand trade unionist and local-body politician.
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.
| 26th Parliament | |
|---|---|
| 27th Parliament | |
| 28th Parliament | |
| 29th Parliament | |
| 30th Parliament | |
| 31st Parliament | |
| 32nd Parliament | |
| 33rd Parliament | |
| 34th Parliament |
|
| 35th Parliament | |
| 36th Parliament | |
| 37th Parliament | |
| 38th Parliament | |
| 39th Parliament | |
| 40th Parliament |
|
| 41st Parliament | |
| 42nd Parliament |
|
| 43rd Parliament | |
| 44th Parliament | |
