1960 New Zealand general election

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1960 New Zealand general election
Flag of New Zealand.svg
  1957 26 November 1960 (1960-11-26) 1963  

All 80 seats in the New Zealand Parliament
41 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout1,170,503 (89.8%)
 First partySecond party
  Keith Holyoake (crop).jpg Walter Nash (ca 1940s).jpg
Leader Keith Holyoake Walter Nash
Party National Labour
Leader since 13 August 1957 17 January 1951
Leader's seat Pahiatua Hutt
Last election39 seats, 44.2%41 seats, 48.3%
Seats won4634
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 7Decrease2.svg 7
Popular vote557,046508,179
Percentage47.6%43.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 3.4%Decrease2.svg 4.9%

1960 New Zealand general election - Results.svg
Results of the election.

Prime Minister before election

Walter Nash
Labour

Subsequent Prime Minister

Keith Holyoake
National

The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 33rd term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the National Party, putting an end to the short second Labour government.

Contents

Background

The Labour Party had won the 1957 election by a narrow margin, beginning New Zealand's second period of Labour government. However, the new administration soon lost its narrow lead in public opinion, with its financial policies being the principal cause of dissatisfaction. The so-called "Black Budget", introduced by finance minister Arnold Nordmeyer, increased taxes substantially, with particularly large increases for alcohol and tobacco taxes; Labour became widely seen as both miserly and puritanical. The government defended its tax increases as a necessary measure to avert a balance of payments crisis, but the opposition, led by Keith Holyoake, made substantial gains out of the issue throughout the parliamentary term. [1]

Both parties crafted narratives on the history of the balance of payments crisis in the lead up to the election. Holyoake tried to argue that overseas funds had not fallen as much as Nash said in 1957, and that Labour had produced a panic budget. Moreover, the over-importing was due to a fear of import controls if Labour should win. Nash continued to stress that National had produced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and that Labour had averted further disaster by its action. Coincidentally, at the beginning of the election another drop in overseas funds occurred, but neither party commented much about it. [2]

Labour's main policy platform was on industrialization particularly with new cotton mills in Nelson. Nash constantly repeated the theme people in New Zealand had 'never been so well off' and pamphlets stated 'everyone, everywhere, will again be better off', closely mirroring British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's winning slogan in 1959, 'You've never had it so good'. [3] National's campaign promised to lower taxes, reduce import controls and abolish compulsory unionism. [4]

A very thorough study of the election by three political scientists concluded that National's preparations for the election, organization, and publicity were much better than Labour's which was the main reason for the result with little substantial differences between the parties in policy. [5] National's party organisation recognised their win was mostly due to public mood against Labour and many traditional Labour voters not bothering to vote. As a result Labour's vote share had fallen more than National's had risen. [6]

MPs retiring in 1960

Five National MPs and four Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 32nd Parliament.

PartyNameElectorate
National James Roy Clutha
Duncan Rae Eden
Jack Watts Fendalton
Sidney Walter Smith Hobson
Jimmy Maher Otaki
Labour Bill Anderton Auckland Central
Phil Holloway Heretaunga
Joe Cotterill Wanganui
Jim Kent Westland

The election

The date for the main 1960 election was 26 November. 1,310,742 people were registered to vote, and turnout was 89.8%. This turnout was slightly lower than what had been recorded in the previous elections. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.

Results

The 1960 election saw the governing Labour Party defeated by a twelve-seat margin, having previously held a two-seat majority. National won a total of 46 seats to Labour's 34 seats, and formed the second National government. [7] In the popular vote, National won 47.59% to Labour's 43.42%. [8]

The Social Credit Party won 8.62% of the vote, but no seats. [9] Three of their candidates missed the nomination deadline, and the opening address of the party leader P. H. Matthews was not noteworthy.

Three new National members of parliament were called the Young Turks: Peter Gordon, Duncan MacIntyre and Robert Muldoon. [10] The other new National MPs were Esme Tombleson, Bill Brown, Harry Lapwood, Logan Sloane, Bert Walker, and Dan Riddiford. [11]

Paddy Blanchfield, Ron Bailey, Norman Douglas and George Spooner entered parliament for Labour.

1949 nz parliament.svg
Election results
PartyCandidatesTotal votesPercentageSeats wonChange
National 80557,04647.646+7
Labour 80508,17943.434−7
Social Credit 79100,9058.60±0
Communist 182,4230.210±0
Others71,9500.20±0
Total2691,170,50380

Votes summary

Popular Vote
National
47.60%
Labour
43.40%
Social Credit
8.60%
Others
0.40%
Parliament seats
National
57.50%
Labour
42.50%

The table below shows the results of the 1960 general election:

Key

  National   Labour   Social Credit

Electorate results for the 1960 New Zealand general election [12]
ElectorateIncumbentWinnerMajorityRunner up
General electorates
Ashburton Geoff Gerard 2,558George Glassey
Auckland Central Bill Anderton Norman Douglas 1,846Ray Presland
Avon John Mathison 4,216 Lorrie Pickering
Awarua Gordon Grieve 3,000J P Wyatt
Bay of Plenty Percy Allen 2,411Thomas Godfrey Santon
Buller Jerry Skinner 1,546Ernie King
Christchurch Central Robert Macfarlane 1,935Tom Flint
Clutha James Roy Peter Gordon 3,863Joseph Fahey
Dunedin Central Phil Connolly 842Norman Scurr
Dunedin North Ethel McMillan 2,475 Brenda Bell
Eden Duncan Rae John Rae 1,902Russell Gordon Penney
Egmont William Sheat 3,933J W Watson
Fendalton Jack Watts Harry Lake 2,722 Bill Rowling
Franklin Alfred E. Allen 5,197Howard Preston
Gisborne Reginald Keeling Esme Tombleson 291 Reginald Keeling
Grey Lynn Fred Hackett 4,596Brian Zouch
Hamilton Lance Adams-Schneider 2,583Sir Basil Arthur
Hastings Ted Keating Duncan MacIntyre 300 Ted Keating
Hauraki Arthur Kinsella 2,635 Albert Clifford Tucker
Hawkes Bay Cyril Harker 3,682John Woolf
Heretaunga Phil Holloway Ron Bailey 2,576Vere Hampson-Tindale
Hobson Sidney Walter Smith Logan Sloane 1,401 Vernon Cracknell
Hurunui William Gillespie 2,731Arthur Adcock
Hutt Walter Nash 2,349George Barker
Invercargill Ralph Hanan 1,926Oliver James Henderson
Island Bay Arnold Nordmeyer 1,791Fairlie Curry
Karori Jack Marshall 4,313 Olive Smuts-Kennedy
Lyttelton Norman Kirk 260Jim Hay
Manawatu Blair Tennent 3,120Leonard Thomas Fischer
Manukau Leon Götz 245Cyril Stamp
Marlborough Tom Shand 1,747Robert William Hope
Marsden Don McKay 4,351John Swanson Reid
Miramar Bill Fox 467Bernard Lyons
Mornington Wally Hudson 2,246George Robert Thorn
Mount Albert Warren Freer 1,676Clarice Anderson
Napier Jim Edwards 1,405William John Gunn
Nelson Stan Whitehead 1,767Colin Wilson Martin
New Plymouth Ernest Aderman 1,693 Ron Barclay
North Shore Dean Eyre 1,817Peter Lawrence Smith
Onehunga Hugh Watt 4,705Paul Brian Phillips
Onslow Henry May 790Maida Clark
Otago Central Jack George 4,344 Brian MacDonell
Otahuhu James Deas 2,774Thomas Tucker
Otaki Jimmy Maher Allan McCready 2,044Thomas William Cameron
Pahiatua Keith Holyoake 4,934Kingsley McKane
Palmerston North Philip Skoglund Bill Brown 133 Philip Skoglund [nb 1]
Patea Roy Jack 2,304David Costello Valley
Petone Mick Moohan 2,918Dick Martin
Piako Stan Goosman 5,376Henry Uttinger
Ponsonby Ritchie Macdonald 4,744Neil McLaughlan
Raglan Douglas Carter 1,371 Alan Baxter
Rangitikei Norman Shelton 3,889Shaun Alex Cameron
Remuera Ronald Algie 6,109 Barry Gustafson
Riccarton Mick Connelly 2,022Deena V. Sergel [13]
Rodney Jack Scott 4,157 Phil Amos
Roskill Arthur Faulkner 1,374Geoffrey Taylor
Rotorua Ray Boord Harry Lapwood 358 Ray Boord
Selwyn John McAlpine 2,839John Palmer
St Albans Neville Pickering Bert Walker 298 Neville Pickering
St Kilda Bill Fraser 835 Jim Barnes
Stratford Thomas Murray 4,388H M St George
Sydenham Mabel Howard 4,793 Derek Quigley
Tamaki Bob Tizard Robert Muldoon 1,148 Bob Tizard
Tauranga George Walsh 5,239D C Goodfellow
Timaru Clyde Carr 357 Ronald Erle White
Waikato Geoffrey Sim 3,041Arthur John Ingram
Waipa Hallyburton Johnstone 3,241Bob Reese
Wairarapa Bert Cooksley 2,088Allan Goldsmith
Waitakere Rex Mason 3,709John Herbert Wilkinson
Waitaki Thomas Hayman 1,972Les McKay
Waitemata Norman King 1,249Jolyon Firth
Waitomo David Seath 3,951Duncan Barclay McLaren
Wallace Brian Talboys 5,736E Harris
Wanganui Joe Cotterill George Spooner 160E J Crotty
Wellington Central Frank Kitts Dan Riddiford 381 Frank Kitts
Westland Jim Kent Paddy Blanchfield 3,844D A Hogg
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori Tiaki Omana 3,025 Arnold Reedy [14]
Northern Maori Tapihana Paikea 3,372George Russell Harrison
Southern Maori Eruera Tirikatene 3,947Ngarangi Whakaupoko Tutaki
Western Maori Iriaka Rātana 4,666 Pei Te Hurinui Jones

Table footnotes:

  1. Skoglund was first on election night, but lost after special votes were counted

Bibliography

Notes

  1. Gustafson 1986, p. 80.
  2. Sinclair 1976, p. 350.
  3. Sinclair 1976, pp. 349–50.
  4. Gustafson 1986, p. 82.
  5. Sinclair 1976, p. 349.
  6. Gustafson 1986, p. 90.
  7. Wilson 1985, p. 288.
  8. Wilson 1985, p. 290.
  9. Wilson 1985, pp. 288, 290.
  10. "Obituary: Duncan MacIntyre". The New Zealand Herald . 16 June 2001. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  11. Gustafson 1986, p. 85.
  12. Norton 1988.
  13. Gustafson 1986, p. 386.
  14. Gustafson 1986, p. 383.

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References