1978 Rangitikei by-election

Last updated

1978 Rangitikei by-election
Flag of New Zealand.svg
←  1975 general 18 February 1978 (1978-02-18) 1978 general  →
Turnout14,164 (62.32%)
  Bruce Craig Beetham (crop).jpg No image.png JJ Stewart (cropped).jpg
Candidate Bruce Beetham Jim Bull JJ Stewart
Party Social Credit National Labour
Popular vote6,8045,4691,614
Percentage48.0338.6111.39
Member before election

Sir Roy Jack
National

Elected Member

Bruce Beetham
Social Credit

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.

Contents

Background and candidates

The MP for Rangitikei, and Speaker of the House, Sir Roy Jack died in Wellington on 24 December 1977.

Labour

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

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 of 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 by Marton. [2]

Social Credit

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]

Others

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]

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1978 Rangitikei by-election [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Social Credit Bruce Beetham 6,804 48.03 +11.64
National Jim Bull5,46938.61
Labour JJ Stewart 1,61411.39
Values Denis Hocking2641.68
Independent M J Leniston130.09
Majority1,3359.42
Turnout 14,16462.32−21.07
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]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "J. J. Stewart tries for Labour team". The Press . 23 January 1978. p. 1.
  2. 1 2 "Labour's man". The Press . 25 January 1975. p. 1.
  3. ↑ Bryant 1981, p. 13.
  4. 1 2 "Party parley after funeral". The Press . 27 December 1977. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Three will contest National candidacy". The Press . 17 January 1978. p. 6.
  6. ↑ "Rangitikei choice delayed". The Press . 30 December 1977. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "Independent candidate". The Press . 31 January 1978. p. 11.
  8. 1 2 Norton 1988, p. 330.
  9. ↑ "Beetham rivals now out of race". The Press . 22 March 1978. p. 4.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.