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| Turnout | 14,164 (62.32%) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Rangitikei by-election of 1978 was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Rangitikei, a predominantly rural district in the middle of New Zealand's North Island. The by-election occurred on 18 February 1978, and was precipitated by the death of sitting National Party member of parliament Sir Roy Jack in December 1977.
The MP for Rangitikei, and Speaker of the House, Sir Roy Jack died in Wellington on 24 December 1977.
Four names were put forward for the Labour Party nomination: [1]
At a selection meeting held in Marton, Stewart won the candidacy. [2] Stewart was a former teacher of Social Credit candidate Bruce Beetham's at New Plymouth Boys' High School who once gave him a caning. [3]
National was hampered as its candidate selection was only to be a stand in until the general election later in the year. Jack had planned to retire then, to be replaced as the candidate by the Minister of Education Les Gandar whose Ruahine seat was to be abolished in boundary changes. A former member for Rangitikei, 72 year old Norman Shelton, aged 72, was tipped as a potential National candidate to "hold the fort" until the general election. Shelton said a candidature of himself had been neither sought nor confirmed though stating he would be "quite capable" of looking after the seat in a caretaker capacity. [4] Shelton did not put himself forward, but three other people sought the National nomination: [5]
Bull was selected as the candidate for the by-election after winning an absolute majority on the first ballot of the 117 delegates votes at the selection meeting held Marton. [2]
Beetham, who was the Social Credit Party's leader and recently retired Mayor of Hamilton, had polled a strong second in the seat in 1975. He was thought the obvious choice for the party in the by-election, but waited until after Jack's funeral before declaring his candidacy. [4]
Dr Denis Hocking, a Bulls farmer was announced as the Values Party candidate for the by-election. Hocking, who was the first declared party candidate, had a science degree from Massey University and a doctorate of philosophy gained in Britain. Since 1975 he had been farming his family property in Bulls and had also been the energy spokesman for the Friends of the Earth in New Zealand organisation. [6]
M.J. Leniston of Wellington, stood as an independent and campaigned by asking people to come to see him instead of going out to talk to them. He did not have any particular policies, instead wanting people to "identify their own issues and put them forward." His 16 year old son paid the $100 deposit for his candidature for him. [7]
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Credit | Bruce Beetham | 6,804 | 48.03 | +11.64 | |
| National | Jim Bull | 5,469 | 38.61 | ||
| Labour | JJ Stewart | 1,614 | 11.39 | ||
| Values | Denis Hocking | 264 | 1.68 | ||
| Independent | M J Leniston | 13 | 0.09 | ||
| Majority | 1,335 | 9.42 | |||
| Turnout | 14,164 | 62.32 | -21.07 | ||
| Registered electors | 22,725 | ||||
| Social Credit gain from National | Swing | ||||
The by-election was contested by all major parties. It was won by Bruce Beetham, the Social Credit Party candidate, with a majority of 1,335. He became the second Social Credit Party MP in New Zealand's history. This upset was extremely rare in the post-war political climate of New Zealand, especially in a rural electorate that traditionally voted National (although such voting is more likely in a by-election). The National Party candidate Jim Bull came second, the Labour Party candidate (and rugby coach) JJ Stewart came third and the Values Party candidate Denis Hocking came fourth.
Both Bull and Stewart declined to run in the seat again at the general election, with Max Hodgson being selected as Labour's candidate unopposed. [9] At the general election Beetham was confirmed as the member, being elected with increased majority against Gandar for National, with Hodgson third and Hocking again coming fourth. [8]
The New Zealand Social Credit Party was a political party that was New Zealand's third party from the 1950s to the 1980s. It was elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives, holding one seat at times between 1966 and 1981, and two seats from 1981 to 1987. It was named the New Zealand Democratic Party from 1985 to 2018, and was part of the Alliance party from 1991 to 2002. It returned to the Social Credit name in 2018. The party deregistered itself in early 2023.
The 1981 New Zealand general election, held on 28 November 1981, was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, but the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, won the largest share of the votes cast. Social Credit also won over 20% of the vote – their best result ever – but received no new seats.
Bruce Craig Beetham was an academic and politician from New Zealand, whose career spanned the 1970s and early 1980s.
The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, but the opposition Labour Party won the largest share of the vote. Reorganisation of the enrolment system caused major problems with the electoral rolls, which left a legacy of unreliable information about voting levels in this election.
The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority district located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamahanga, lies in the Hawke's Bay Region. It is located in the southwest of the island, and follows the catchment area of the Rangitīkei River.
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.
The Onehunga by-election of 1980 was a by-election for the Onehunga electorate during the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It was prompted by the death of Frank Rogers, a Labour Party MP. It was held on 7 June 1980 and was won by Fred Gerbic, also of the Labour Party.
Rangitīkei is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Rangitīkei is Suze Redmayne of the National Party. She has held this position since 2023.
Gary Thomas Knapp is a former New Zealand politician of the Social Credit Party.
Leslie Walter Gandar was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.
Malcolm Douglas is a former New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He lives in Karaka south of Auckland.
Neville George Pickering was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Waimarino was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate that existed from 1911 to 1954, and from 1963 to 1972. It was rural in nature and was represented by four Members of Parliament.
Ruahine is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1972 to 1978.
The Nelson by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Nelson a predominantly urban seat at the top of the South Island.
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.
John Joseph Stewart, generally known as JJ Stewart, was a New Zealand rugby union coach and administrator, and secondary school teacher. His obituary said that in 1973 when he took over as All Blacks coach, he was the right man at the right time for a team that was scarred and in crisis from a home loss to the British Lions in 1971, a controversial British tour in 1972–73 and a cancelled Springbok tour in 1973.
The 37th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1972 general election on 25 November of that year.
The Buller by-election 1962 was a by-election held in the Buller electorate in the West Coast during the term of the 33rd New Zealand Parliament, on 7 July 1962.
The 1909 Rangitikei by-election was a by-election held during the 17th New Zealand Parliament in the Rangitikei electorate of the North Island. This was the sixth by-election since the Rangitikei electorate was established for the 1861 election. The previous by-election took place in 1892 and the following one took place in 1978. The Second Ballot Act 1908 was in force and in the first ballot, and Frank Hockly of the opposition Reform Party won the first ballot, but Robert William Smith of the governing Liberal Party was ultimately chosen in the second ballot.
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