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| Turnout | 13,077 (63.60%) | |||||||||||||||
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The Brooklyn by-election 1951 was a by-election held in the Brooklyn electorate in Wellington during the 29th New Zealand Parliament, on 17 February 1951.
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| Turnout | 13,077 (63.60%) | |||||||||||||||
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The Brooklyn by-election 1951 was a by-election held in the Brooklyn electorate in Wellington during the 29th New Zealand Parliament, on 17 February 1951.
The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Peter Fraser, who had been prime minister until the 1949 general election, on 17 December 1950 after a long illness. [1] Labour's deputy leader, Walter Nash deliberately brought the election of leader to replace Fraser to before the by-election so that if the Labour candidate was successful they would be unable to either participate or contest the position as only elected members of the caucus were eligible to stand. His decision caused a heated debate in caucus, though it was eventually voted for by a caucus majority of two to proceed with the early vote. [2]
The Communist Party (CPNZ) initially offered not to contest the by-election, approaching the Labour Party to withdraw in their favour on condition that Labour adopt several CPNZ policy platforms, notably an immediate withdrawal of New Zealand troops from the Korean War. Labour (who supported the Korean War) rebuffed the offer so the CPNZ ran a candidate. [3] Connie Birchfield, their candidate for Brooklyn in 1949, was selected to stand again.
The Labour Party selected its president, former cabinet minister Arnold Nordmeyer, who had lost his seat of Oamaru in 1949. He was the sole nominee and therefore selected unopposed. [4] There was initially speculation that the president of the Wellington Central branch Frank Kitts might stand. Kitts was a Wellington City Councillor and Labour's mayoral candidate in 1950, who was only narrowly defeated. [5]
There were four nominees for the National Party candidacy: [6]
Jacobsen was chosen after winning a ballot of local party members. [7]
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Arnold Nordmeyer | 5,287 | 63.56 | ||
| National | Len Jacobsen | 2,902 | 34.88 | ||
| Communist | Connie Birchfield | 129 | 1.55 | −0.59 | |
| Majority | 2,385 | 28.67 | |||
| Turnout | 8,318 | 63.60 | −22.13 | ||
| Registered electors | 13,077 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Nordmeyer was elected with a 2.35% swing. [9] While National had won the 1949 election, both the 1950 local body elections and the by-election result pointed to the fact that National's hold on power was tenuous. [10] National's vote fell causing party officials concern over many urban seats which had been won in 1949 only by low majorities. Deputy Prime Minister Keith Holyoake denied that the government's popularity had been impaired and stated that Labour had not offered any worthy suggestions on how the problems of the day could be handled. [11]
Peter Fraser was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Labour Party, he was in office longer than any other Labour prime minister, and is to date New Zealand's fourth-longest-serving head of government.
Sir Walter Nash was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, having been associated with the New Zealand Labour Party since its creation.
Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer was a New Zealand politician and Presbyterian minister. As a member of Parliament (MP) he played a crucial role in the Labour Party, serving from 1935 to 1969. He served as minister of finance (1957–1960) and later as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition (1963–1965). Although he was a prominent statesman, Nordmeyer never ascended to the role of prime minister.
Sir Francis Joseph Kitts was a New Zealand politician. Originally from the South Island, he served in the military and later was a civil servant before entering politics with the Labour Party. He was the Member of Parliament for Wellington Central between 1954 and 1960. He was also the longest-serving Mayor of Wellington, holding the post from 1956 to 1974. He was also a member at various times of several other local bodies and was still an elected official at his death.
The 1943 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 27th term. With the onset of World War II, elections were initially postponed, but it was eventually decided to hold a general election in September 1943, around two years after it would normally have occurred. The election saw the governing Labour Party re-elected by a comfortable margin, although the party nevertheless lost considerable ground to the expanding National Party.
The 1951 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 30th term. The First National Government was re-elected, with the National Party increasing its parliamentary majority over the opposition Labour Party. This was the last time until the 2020 election that a party was elected to majority government of New Zealand by receiving a majority of the vote.
Michael Moohan was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Seldom known to anyone by anything other than "Mick", he was a major organisational figure in the Labour Party's early history and went on to become a significant politician in his own right as an MP and cabinet minister.
Brooklyn was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in Wellington city from 1946 to 1954. It was represented by two prominent members of the Labour Party: Peter Fraser, who was Prime Minister (1940–1949), and Arnold Nordmeyer, who was later Minister of Finance (1957–1960).
Island Bay was a former New Zealand electorate, centred on Island Bay in the southern suburbs of Wellington. The electorate was formed in 1946 and dissolved in 1996.
John Gerald O’Brien, known as Gerald O'Brien, was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Allan "Martyn" Finlay was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Labour Party. He was an MP in two separate spells and a member of two different governments, including being a minister in the latter where he reformed the country's justice system.
William Arthur Fox was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a Cabinet minister in the Second Labour Government of 1957–1960.
James Gladstone Edwards was a member of parliament for Napier, in the North Island of New Zealand.
Edwin Joseph Keating was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the Labour Party, academic and director of the Bank of New Zealand.
The Grey Lynn by-election 1963 was a by-election held in the Grey Lynn electorate in Auckland during the term of the 33rd New Zealand Parliament, on 18 May 1963.
The New Zealand Labour Party leadership election, 1940 was held on 4 April 1940 to choose the fourth leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. The election was won by Wellington Central MP Peter Fraser.
The 1951 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election was held on 17 January to choose the fifth leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. The election was won by Hutt MP and incumbent deputy-leader Walter Nash.
The 1954 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election was held on 23 June 1954 to determine the future leadership of the New Zealand Labour Party. The election was won by Hutt MP Walter Nash, the incumbent leader.
The 1963 New Zealand Labour Party leadership election was held on 26 February to choose the sixth leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. The election was won by Island Bay MP Arnold Nordmeyer.
The 1950 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1950, elections 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.
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