List of by-elections to the Invercargill City Council

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By-elections to the Invercargill City Council occur to fill vacant seats in the City Council. The death, resignation, bankruptcy or expulsion of a sitting councillor can cause a by-election to occur. The most recent by-election in Invercargill was in 2023 triggered by the resignation of councillor Nigel Skelt.

Contents

There have also been four mayoral by-elections in 1887, 1938, 1942 and 1993.

List of by-elections

1912 by-election

William Benjamin Scandrett resigned from the council upon being elected mayor. The resulting by-election was won by Tom O'Byrne. [1] [2]

1912 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Tom O'Byrne 769 39.65
Independent Hugh Mair 54528.10
Independent Robert Barbour McKay44322.84
Independent Andrew McCulloch1718.81
Informal votes110.56
Majority22411.55
Turnout 1,939

1913 by-election

In 1913 Councillor Robert Galbraith resigned after moving residence to Ashburton. [3]

1913 Invercargill Borough Council by-election [4] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent John Thomas Carswell 890 39.01
Independent Isaac Petrie88238.66
United Labour Alexander Glass48521.26
Informal votes241.05
Majority80.35
Turnout 2,281

1916 by-elections

Councillor John Archer resigned to move to Wellington. [6] Edward Sheehan won the by-election on 19 January but was forced to resign due to a contract he neglected to surrender prior to being nominated. [7] [8] [9] He was again elected on 23 February. [10] [11]

January 1916 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Edward Sheehan 558 46.34
Labour John Winders33027.40
Independent Labour John Charles Mackley31626.24
Informal votes282.32
Majority22818.93
Turnout 1,204
February 1916 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Edward Sheehan 547 39.46 −6.88
Independent William Smith36025.97
Labour John Winders31522.72−4.68
Independent Labour Jacob Alsweiler1067.64
Independent Thomas Harrington584.18
Informal votes90.64−1.68
Majority18713.49−5.44
Turnout 1,386

1920 by-election

William Baird's seat on the council lapsed in 1920 triggering a by-election.

1920 Invercargill Borough Council by-election [12] [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Frederick George Blake 386 73.66
Independent Labour Jacob Alsweiler13525.76
Informal votes30.57
Majority25147.90
Turnout 5245.87

1927 by-election

Councillor Arthur Geddes resigned due to poor health. The by-election was contested by former councillors Alexander Glass and Tom O'Byrne. [14] [15] [16]

1927 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Tom O'Byrne 1,323 53.15
Independent Alexander Glass1,15946.56
Informal votes70.28
Majority1646.58
Turnout 2,489

1932 by-election

Councillor Edward Sheehan died on 21 June 1932. [17] The resulting by-election was won by William Denham on 18 July. [18] [19]

1932 Invercargill City Council by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Denham 2,023 55.12
Independent William Rous Mabson1,63744.60
Informal votes100.27
Majority38610.51
Turnout 3,670

1938 by-election

1938 Invercargill City Council by-election [20] [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Richard Thomas Parsons 1,011 30.28
Independent William John Thomas1,00330.04
Independent Albert Errol Crimp95628.63
Independent Labour D W Stalker36811.02
Majority80.24
Turnout 3,338

1939 by-election

First term councillor Alfred McCarthy resigned after being appointed as Judge of the Native Land Court for the Cook Islands in February 1939. [22]

1939 Invercargill City Council by-election [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent William John Thomas 2,178 63.02
Labour Maurice William Grantham1,27536.89
Informal votes30.08
Majority90326.12
Turnout 3,456

1949 by-election

Councillor John Pickard died on 10 January 1949, prompting a by-election which was won by George Agnew. [24] [25] Councillor Agnew would later die suddenly during a council meeting that November. [26] The council opted to fill the seat via an appointment rather than hold another by-election. [27]

1949 Invercargill City Council by-election [28]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent George Agnew 965 23.56
Independent Alan Herbert James Wyatt75218.36
Independent Sandy Jordan59614.55
Independent Albert Errol Crimp50212.25
Independent George William Adamson41910.23
Independent William Liddy Boyd3568.69
Independent Brian Vincent Liston Beadle3247.91
Independent John Charles Waters2335.68
Independent Thomas Philip Hackett491.19
Independent James Millar Markey320.78
Informal votes651.58
Majority2135.20
Turnout 4,09522.75

1976 by-election

Councillor Norman Jones resigned after being elected to parliament, prompting a by-election. Jones was replaced on the council by J. B. Munro, whom he defeated at the parliamentary election. There was also another vacancy so the election was for two seats. [29]

1976 Invercargill City Council by-election [30]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. B. Munro 4,299 65.09
Independent Jim Fenton 1,969 29.81
Independent Ivall Moira Macdonald1,40021.19
Values Malcolm Blair1,31019.83
Independent Tom Brass1,10216.68
Independent Walter McGregor Watson88613.41
Independent Mervyn Charles Thomas Hughes6509.84
Independent Alan Francis King4927.45
Independent Rex Hawthorne4276.46
Independent Neville Green3515.31
Independent Ralph Thomas Webb2844.30
Informal votes390.59
Majority5698.61
Turnout 6,60418.00

2006 by-election

The 2006 by-election was triggered by the resignation of councillor David Carter due to ill health.

2006 Invercargill City Council by-election [31]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Wayne Harpur 4,609 29.55
Independent Thelma Buck3,93525.23
Independent Anne McCracken3,09619.85
Independent Maree Wilks1,99512.79
Independent Karl Barkley1,90512.21
Informal votes560.35
Majority6744.32
Turnout 15,596

2012 by-election

The 2012 by-election was triggered following the resignation of Jackie Kruger.

2012 Invercargill City Council by-election [32]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Lindsay Thomas 2,845 20.60
Independent Karen Arnold2,49218.04
Independent Steve Broad 2,45317.76
Independent Allan Arnold1,89013.68
Independent Debbie Jamieson1,3449.73
Independent Becs Amundsen8726.31
Independent Hunter Andrews8085.85
Independent Carl Heenan7025.08
Independent Charlie Te Au3142.27
Majority3532.55
Turnout 13,810

2021 by-election

The 2021 by-election was prompted by the resignation of deputy mayor Toni Biddle in October 2020. [33] On 17 February 2021, broadcaster Marcus Lush was declared to have won in a landslide. [34]

2021 Invercargill City Council by-election [35]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Marcus Lush 7,371 50.14
Independent Wayne Harpur1,53410.43
Independent Simon Edwards1,1347.71
Independent Kevin Mulrooney1,1157.58
Independent Tom Downey1,0286.99
Independent David Pottinger9756.63
Independent Wade Devine8946.08
Independent Carl Heenan4322.93
Independent Bernadine Goldsmith1460.99
Informal votes710.48
Majority5,83739.70
Turnout 14,70036.58

2023 by-election

On the night of 4 May 2023, Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt resigned from his position after fellow councillor Ria Bond threatened to resign if Skelt did not resign following allegations of sexual harassment. [36] On 2 May 2023, Radio New Zealand reported that a female teenage employee at the ILT Stadium Southland had resigned on 17 February 2023 in response to Skelt's remarks about her physical appearance, naked jelly wrestling, and sexual reproduction. The former employee said she was upset by Skelt's remarks and no longer wanted to work alongside Skelt. At the time, Skelt was working as a stadium manager at ILT Stadium Southland. Radio New Zealand also reported that the Mayor of Invercargill Nobby Clark tried to defuse the situation by paying the teenage employee's NZ$3,000 in lost income, offering the employee counseling and work, issuing a warning to Skelt, and negotiating a confidentiality agreement with the employee. The young woman's parent criticised Clark in a letter for allegedly prioritising Skelt and the stadium's reputation over the hurt and damage experienced by the employee. The incident became public knowledge following a Local Government Official Information Meeting Act media request filed on 29 March 2023. [37]

Bond welcomed Skelt's decision to resign, stating that "no person should be forced to work with someone who has done the things that he's done." The Invercargill City Council stated that Skelt's resignation would trigger a by-election, which was expected to cost approximately NZ$120,000. Invercargill's last by-election was held in 2020–2021 in response to Toni Biddle's resignation. [36] The by-election campaign launch began on 1 July 2023. The Holy Trinity Church hosted a campaign launch meeting that was attended by seven candidates and 20 members of the public. The campaign launch covered several topics including the Three Waters reform programme, soup kitchens, Invercargill's Splash Palace changing room policy and Mayor Clark's participation in Julian Batchelor's controversial "Stop Co-Governance" meeting. A further ten meetings were scheduled to be held in Invercargill before voting commences on 13 July. [38]

2023 Invercargill City Council by-election [39]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Steve Broad 2,792 20.93
Independent David Meades1,58911.91
Independent Lisa Tou-McNaughton1,55911.69
Independent Graham Lewis1,52411.42
Independent Asha Dutt1,50511.28
Independent Ian Reeves8886.65
Independent David Pottinger6785.08
Independent Sebastien Fabre6524.88
Independent Terry King5073.80
Independent Andrea Murrell4603.44
Independent David Hicks3632.72
Independent Carl Heenan3622.71
Independent Rob Te Maiharoa3242.42
Independent Tom Morton710.53
Informal votes610.45
Majority1,2039.02
Turnout 13,33534.48

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References

  1. ↑ "Town Council Nominations". The Southland Times . 15 May 1912. p. 2.
  2. ↑ "Town Council Election". The Southland Times . 22 May 1912. p. 6.
  3. ↑ "About People". The Southland Times . 23 June 1913. p. 6.
  4. ↑ "Borough of Invercargill". Southern Cross. 26 July 1913. p. 12.
  5. ↑ "Municipal By-Election". The Southland Times . 31 July 1913. p. 6.
  6. ↑ "Valedictory". The Southland Times . 18 January 1916. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "To-day's Poll". The Southland Times . 19 January 1916. p. 5.
  8. ↑ "Yesterday's Polls". The Southland Times . 20 January 1916. p. 5.
  9. ↑ "News and Notes". Southern Cross. 5 February 1916. p. 11.
  10. ↑ "Town Council Vacancy". The Southland Times . 24 February 1916. p. 6.
  11. ↑ "Borough of Invercargill". Southern Cross. 26 February 1916. p. 9.
  12. ↑ "General News". Southern Cross. 17 July 1920. p. 8.
  13. ↑ "Council By-election". The Southland Times . 9 August 1920. p. 5.
  14. ↑ "About People". The Southland Times . 9 August 1927. p. 6.
  15. ↑ "Council Vacancy". The Southland Times . 15 August 1927. p. 6.
  16. ↑ "The By-election - Victory For Labour". The Southland Times . 1 September 1927. p. 8.
  17. ↑ "Obituary - Mr. Edward Sheenan". The Southland Times . 22 June 1932. p. 4.
  18. ↑ "City Council". The Southland Times . 29 June 1932. p. 8.
  19. ↑ "City Council - By-election Result". The Southland Times . 19 July 1932. p. 6.
  20. ↑ "Local & General". Western Star. 18 November 1938. p. 2.
  21. ↑ "Labour Unity". Otago Daily Times . 19 November 1938. p. 14.
  22. ↑ "Land Court Judge at Cook Islands". The Press . 9 February 1939. p. 8.
  23. ↑ "City of Invercargill - Declaration of Poll on Extraordinary Election of Councillor". The Southland Times . No. 23781. 31 March 1939. p. 1.
  24. ↑ "Obituary - Mr John Pickard". Otago Daily Times . 11 January 1949. p. 6.
  25. ↑ "Invercargill Election". Gisborne Herald . 24 February 1949. p. 4.
  26. ↑ "Invercargill Councillor Dies At Council Meeting". Wanganui Chronicle . 15 November 1949. p. 5.
  27. ↑ "Vacant Seat on City Council - By-Election May Be Unnecessary". The Southland Times . 18 November 1949. p. 6.
  28. ↑ "City of Invercargill - Declaration of Poll on Extraordinary Election of Councillor". The Southland Times . 26 February 1949. p. 2.
  29. ↑ "Mr Munro gets seat in council". The Press . 17 April 1976. p. 16.
  30. ↑ "City of Invercargill - Declaration of Result of Election". The Southland Times . 29 April 1976. p. 18.
  31. ↑ Nordqvist, Susie (21 August 2006). "Harpur gets nod over Buck in low-polling city council byelection". The Southland Times . p. 1.
  32. ↑ Harding, Evan (30 August 2012). "Voters return Thomas to council table". The Southland Times . p. 5.
  33. ↑ "Invercargill deputy mayor Toni Biddle quits in new blow to council". New Zealand Herald. 9 October 2020.
  34. ↑ Savory, Logan (17 February 2021). "Prominent broadcaster Marcus Lush wins Invercargill City Council by-election". Stuff.
  35. ↑ "2021 By-election". Invercargill City Council.
  36. 1 2 "Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt resigns following sexual harassment allegations". Radio New Zealand . 5 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  37. ↑ "Teen employee 'left in tears' by comments from Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt". Radio New Zealand . 2 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  38. ↑ "Low by-election campaign launch turnout 'sad indictment'". Otago Daily Times . Allied Press. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  39. ↑ "2023 By-election". Invercargill City Council.
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