26th Parliament of New Zealand | |||||||||||
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Overview | |||||||||||
Legislative body | New Zealand Parliament | ||||||||||
Term | 27 June 1939 – 26 August 1943 | ||||||||||
Election | 1938 New Zealand general election | ||||||||||
Government | First Labour Government | ||||||||||
House of Representatives | |||||||||||
Members | 80 | ||||||||||
Speaker of the House | Bill Barnard | ||||||||||
Prime Minister | Peter Fraser from 1 April 1940 — Michael Joseph Savage until 27 March 1940 † | ||||||||||
Leader of the Opposition | Sidney Holland — Adam Hamilton until 26 November 1940 | ||||||||||
Legislative Council | |||||||||||
Speaker of the Council | Mark Fagan — Sir Walter Carncross until 18 July 1939 | ||||||||||
Leader of the Council | David Wilson | ||||||||||
Sovereign | |||||||||||
Members | 34 (at start) 36 (at end) | ||||||||||
Monarch | HM George VI | ||||||||||
Governor-General | HE Rt. Hon. Sir Cyrill Newall from 22 February 1941 — HE Rt. Hon. The Viscount Galway until 3 February 1941 | ||||||||||
Sessions | |||||||||||
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The 26th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1938 general election in October of that year.
The 1938 general election was held on Friday, 14 October in the Māori electorates and on Saturday, 15 October in the general electorates, respectively. [1] A total of 80 MPs were elected; 48 represented North Island electorates, 28 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates. [2] 995,173 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 92.9%. [1]
The 26th Parliament sat for an unusual five sessions by omitting the 1941 general election, and was prorogued on 30 August 1943. [3] A 1941 act extended the life of parliament to 1 November 1942, [4] and a 1942 act allowed extension to "one year from the termination of the present war", [5] although a general election was held in 1943.
Session | Opened | Adjourned |
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first | 27 June 1939 | 6 October 1939 |
second | 30 May 1940 | 6 December 1940 |
third | 12 March 1941 | 17 October 1941 |
fourth | 11 December 1941 | 12 December 1942 |
fifth | 24 February 1943 | 26 August 1943 |
The Labour Party had been in power since December 1935, and Michael Joseph Savage led the Savage Ministry. [6] The opposition had consisted of the United Party and the Reform Party, which merged in 1936 during the term of the 25th Parliament to form the National Party. The First Labour Government was confirmed at the 1938 general election with an increased majority, and the Savage Ministry remained until Savage's death on 27 March 1940. [7]
Savage was succeeded as prime minister by Peter Fraser, who formed the Fraser Ministry on 1 April 1940. The first Fraser Ministry resigned on 30 April 1940 and was reappointed, with some portfolios adjusted. [8] The second Fraser Ministry remained in power until its defeat by the National Party at the 1949 election. [9] [10]
A War Cabinet was formed on 16 July 1940, which held the responsibility for all decisions relating to New Zealand's involvement in World War II. The War Cabinet was dissolved on 21 August 1945. [11] For some months in 1942, a War Administration was in place. Formed on 30 June and dissolved on 2 October, the War Administration had responsibility for all war matters, with the War Cabinet as its executive body. [11]
Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start | |
Labour Party | Michael Joseph Savage | 53 | |
National Party | Adam Hamilton | 25 | |
Independents | 2 |
Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start | |
Labour Party | Peter Fraser | 50 | |
National Party | Sidney Holland | 25 | |
Democratic Labour | John A. Lee | 2 | |
Independents | 3 |
The following table shows the initial composition of the 26th Parliament:
The following table shows the detailed results:
Key
Labour National Country Party Independent Independent Liberal
There were a number of changes during the term of the 26th Parliament.
Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner | |||
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Christchurch South | 1939 | 3 June | Ted Howard | Death | Robert Macfarlane | ||
Auckland West | 1940 | 18 May | Michael Joseph Savage | Death | Peter Carr | ||
Waipawa | 1940 | 16 November | Albert Jull | Death | Cyril Harker | ||
Waitemata | 1941 | 19 July | Jack Lyon | Death | Mary Dreaver | ||
Bay of Plenty | 1941 | 13 December | Gordon Hultquist | Death | Bill Sullivan | ||
Mid-Canterbury | 1942 | 27 January | Arthur Grigg | Death | Mary Grigg | ||
Hauraki | 1942 | 7 February | John Allen | Death | Andy Sutherland | ||
Temuka | 1942 | 7 February | Thomas Burnett | Death | Jack Acland | ||
Christchurch East | 1943 | 6 February | Tim Armstrong | Death | Mabel Howard | ||
Northern Maori | 1943 | 19 June | Paraire Karaka Paikea | Death | (by-election postponed by legislation) [55] |
Name | Year | Seat | From | To | ||
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John A. Lee | 1940 | Grey Lynn | Labour | Democratic Labour | ||
Bill Barnard | Napier | |||||
Gordon Coates | 1942 | Kaipara | National | Independent | ||
Bert Kyle | Riccarton | |||||
Michael Joseph Savage was an Australian-born New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940.
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister after defeating the governing coalition, consisting of the United Party and the Reform Party, in a landslide.
The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 26th term. It resulted in the governing Labour Party being re-elected in a landslide, winning nearly 56% of the vote despite not gaining any more seats. Having replaced the United-Reform coalition, the newly founded National Party also gained a certain amount of ground.
The 25th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It opened on 25 March 1936, following the 1935 election. It was dissolved on 16 September 1938 in preparation for the 1938 election.
The 24th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It opened on 23 February 1932, following the 1931 election. It was dissolved on 1 November 1935 in preparation for the 1935 election. The 24th Parliament was extended by one year because the 1935 election was held later than anticipated due to the ongoing depression, similarly the 1919, and the 1943 elections were held two years late, having been postponed during World War I and World War II respectively.
James Wright Munro was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Grey Lynn is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate, in the city of Auckland. It existed from 1902 to 1978, and was represented by nine Members of Parliament.
Peter Carr was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Alexander Donald McLeod was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand. He was Minister of Lands (1924–1928) and Industries and Commerce (1926–1928) in the Reform Government.
Wellington West was a parliamentary electorate in the western suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand, from 1938 to 1946. It was represented by two Members of Parliament, including Catherine Stewart, the country's second female MP. It was succeeded by the Karori electorate.
Sir Ernest Hyam Davis was a New Zealand businessman, and was Mayor of Auckland City from 1935 to 1941. He was also on other Auckland local bodies and on various philanthropic and sporting organisations. He was Mayor of Newmarket from 1909 to 1910.
Melville Edwin Lyons, sometimes called Tiny, was briefly a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand until his election was declared void. A journalist by trade, he became involved in local politics in Christchurch after having served in WWI. He was Deputy Mayor of Christchurch for six years under mayor Ernest Andrews.
The 1939 Christchurch South by-election held on 3 June was caused by the death of Ted Howard during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Christchurch South electorate was contested by Robert Macfarlane for Labour and Melville Lyons for National, with Macfarlane winning the election. At the time, Macfarlane was Mayor of Christchurch.
The 1943 Christchurch East by-election held on 6 February was caused by the death of Tim Armstrong during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Christchurch East electorate was contested by five candidates, including representatives from the Labour Party, the Labour breakaway party Democratic Labour Party and the National Party. The election was won by the Labour candidate, Mabel Howard, and started her long parliamentary career, which included her becoming the first female cabinet minister in 1947.
The 20th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1919 general election in December of that year.
The 21st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1922 general election in December of that year.
The 23rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1928 general election in November of that year.
The 27th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1943 general election in September of that year.
The 28th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1946 general election in November of that year.
The 1936 Manukau by-election was a by-election during the 25th New Zealand Parliament in the Manukau electorate. It was held on Wednesday 30 September 1936. This by-election came about because of the resignation of Bill Jordan upon his appointment to the position of High Commissioner to the UK during the term of the 25th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election in the Manukau electorate was contested by Arthur Osborne for Labour and Frederick Doidge for National, with Osborne winning the election.