1953 Wellington mayoral election

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1953 Wellington mayoral election
Wellington CoA (shield only).svg
  1950 31 October 1953 1956  
Turnout44,700 (65.19%)
  Robert Macalister.jpg Frank Kitts, 1954.jpg
Candidate Robert Macalister Frank Kitts
Party Citizens' Labour
Popular vote21,80920,094
Percentage48.7844.95

Mayor before election

Robert Macalister

Elected mayor

Robert Macalister

The 1953 Wellington mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1953, 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.

Contents

Campaign

The mayoral contest was essentially a rematch from three years previously with incumbent mayor Robert Macalister opposed by councillor Frank Kitts of the Labour Party. A third candidate, Julius Hyde, stood as an independent campaigning on his opposition to the construction of an international airport in Wellington.

A major talking point in the lead up to the election was the potential of a clash with the 1953 Royal Tour. [1] There were proposals to postpone local elections until early 1954 over fears of reduced turnout due to a conflicted schedule. The proposals were considered by the Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin, who ultimately decided against it. [2]

Mayoralty results

1953 Wellington mayoral election [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Citizens' Robert Macalister 21,809 48.78 −3.24
Labour Frank Kitts 20,09444.95−1.85
Independent Julius Hyde2,4105.39
Informal votes3870.86−0.32
Majority 1,7153.83−1.37
Turnout 44,70065.19+33.44

Councillor results

1953 Wellington City Council election [3] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Frank Kitts 23,041 51.54 +4.93
Citizens' Ken Luke 22,993 51.43
Citizens' Stewart Hardy 21,323 47.70 +4.81
Citizens' Bill Arcus 20,731 46.37
Citizens' Ernest Toop 20,446 45.74 −0.77
Citizens' Bob Archibald 20,052 44.85
Citizens' Barry Barton-Ginger 19,880 44.47
Labour James Roberts 19,771 44.23 +3.92
Labour John Churchill 19,547 43.72 +2.42
Labour Jim Bateman 18,709 41.85 +4.08
Citizens' Berkeley Dallard 18,608 41.62 +1.88
Citizens' Harry Nankervis 18,089 40.46 −2.41
Citizens' Denis McGrath 17,442 39.02 −0.98
Labour Jack Arthurs 17,200 38.47 −1.38
Labour Mervyn Castle 16,995 38.02 −12.42
Citizens' Harry Daysh16,95037.91
Labour George O'Leary16,64337.23
Citizens' William Birtwhistle16,38636.65−4.99
Labour Jim Collins16,38336.64
Labour Ernie Langford16,25536.36
Labour Hugh Kelleher16,20736.25
Labour Frank O'Flynn 16,19236.22+0.69
Labour James Hickey [nb 1] 15,91735.60
Independent Elizabeth Gilmer 15,84835.45−18.19
Citizens' William Stevens15,70435.13−5.21
Citizens' Robert Burton15,64034.98
Labour William Sadd15,41434.48−5.63
Citizens' Charles Treadwell 15,39234.43−12.97
Labour Ethel Harris15,20934.02−4.03
Citizens' Gilbert Lawrence14,88633.30
Labour Edward Hodgkinson14,86533.25
Independent Gilbert MacLean13,26729.68
Independent William Bacon8,24918.45−0.66
Independent James Duncan7,94117.76
Independent Leslie Austin6,61214.79+0.05
Independent George Joseph6,51914.58
Independent Ernest Killick5,33611.93
Communist Donald Austin4,0098.96
Communist Connie Birchfield 2,2995.14+0.02
Communist William Hunter2,0054.48−0.43
Communist Dorothy Stanton1,7914.00+0.34
Communist Edward Harvey1,7003.80
Communist Kenneth Stanton1,5043.54+0.33
Communist Sydney Smith1,3693.06
Communist Thomas Heptinstall1,1342.53
Communist Ray Nunes1,1282.52−0.03

Table footnotes:

  1. Hickey had been co-opted to the council in April 1953 from the Johnsonville Town Board

References

  1. "Move to Postpone Next Municipal Elections". The Evening Post . 18 October 1952.
  2. "Local Elections Date Fixed". The Evening Post . 28 January 1953.
  3. 1 2 Coppin, William Stanley (11 November 1953). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.
  4. "Majority for Mr. Macalister increased by 303". The Evening Post . 12 November 1953.
  5. "Details of Polling". The Evening Post . 2 November 1953.