 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 52,588 (49.94%) | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
The 1989 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1989, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1989 local elections were the first following a major overhaul of local government in New Zealand. The existing Wellington City Council remained in place but greatly expanded, absorbing several of the neighbouring authorities including the Tawa Borough Council and land on the waterfront formerly in the possession of the Wellington Harbour Board. This was the first local election in Wellington to allow postal voting, though polling booths were still available for use. [1]
The race for the mayoralty was bitterly fought with both sides of local politics in Wellington fighting internal divisions as well as each other. Mayor Jim Belich stood for a second term opposed by his former deputy Helene Ritchie who had left Labour after she was removed as deputy-mayor the previous year. The Citizens' Association also had rival candidates running against each other with Rex Nicholls running as the officially endorsed candidate with former Citizens' leader on the council David Bull and ex-councillor Roger Ridley-Smith running as an independent candidates after losing the nomination to Nicholls. As such, the race was characterised by vote splitting and provided a very closely spread result. [2] [3]
The council vote was likewise indecisive with no one group having control of the council. The Labour Party had lost its majority from three years earlier with the Citizens' Association winning a plurality and becoming the largest group on the council. 1989 also saw the emergence of the Green Party which won a seat on the council, the first third party to do so since 1977. Stephen Rainbow won a seat in the Lambton Ward and became the country's first ever Green councillor. [4]
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jim Belich | 15,198 | 28.90 | -21.68 | |
| Independent | Helene Ritchie | 14,266 | 27.12 | ||
| Citizens' | Rex Nicholls | 14,183 | 26.97 | ||
| Independent Citizens' | David Bull | 4,372 | 8.31 | ||
| Independent | Roger Ridley-Smith | 1,963 | 3.73 | ||
| McGillicuddy Serious | John Morrison | 1,015 | 1.93 | ||
| Private Enterprise | Frank Moncur | 200 | 0.38 | -0.29 | |
| Informal votes | 1,391 | 2.64 | -1.86 | ||
| Majority | 932 | 1.77 | -4.53 | ||
| Turnout | 52,588 | 49.94 | +8.17 | ||
Rex Nicholls polled the highest in three of the seven of Wellington's electoral wards while Jim Belich and Helene Ritchie each polled the highest in two.
| Wards won by Belich |
| Wards won by Ritchie |
| Wards won by Nicholls |
| Jim Belich | Helene Ritchie | Rex Nicholls | Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | |
| Eastern | 3,290 | 30.3 | 2,944 | 27.1 | 3,122 | 28.8 | 1,500 | 13.9 | 10,856 | |
| Lambton | 1,925 | 32.0 | 1,496 | 24.9 | 1,836 | 30.5 | 757 | 12.6 | 6,014 | |
| Northern | 1,814 | 25.6 | 2,292 | 32.4 | 1,354 | 19.1 | 1,619 | 22.8 | 7,079 | |
| Onslow | 1,658 | 28.8 | 1,137 | 19.8 | 1,786 | 31.1 | 1,186 | 20.6 | 5,747 | |
| Tawa | 1,059 | 21.2 | 1,301 | 26.1 | 1,309 | 26.3 | 1,306 | 26.2 | 4,975 | |
| Southern | 2,948 | 32.1 | 3,006 | 32.7 | 2,044 | 22.2 | 1,195 | 13.1 | 9,193 | |
| Western | 2,504 | 28.7 | 2,090 | 24.0 | 2,732 | 31.4 | 1,378 | 15.8 | 8,704 | |
| Total | 15,198 | 28.9 | 14,266 | 27.1 | 14,183 | 26.9 | 7,550 | 14.3 | 52,588 | |
Candidates were also elected from wards to the Wellington City Council. [5]
| Party/ticket | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | 9 | |
| Labour | 7 | |
| Greens | 1 | |
| Independent | 4 |
John Gary Blincoe is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1990 to 1996, representing the Labour Party.
Sir James Belich was a New Zealand local politician. He was the mayor of Wellington from 1986 to 1992.
Ian William Lawrence was an Australian-born New Zealand lawyer, who served as the mayor of Wellington from 1983 to 1986.
The 1992 Wellington Central by-election was a by-election held in the Wellington Central electorate during the 43rd New Zealand Parliament, on 12 December 1992. It was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP Fran Wilde after her election as mayor of Wellington and was won by Chris Laidlaw with a majority of 855.
The 2016 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections and was held on 8 October to determine the next Mayor of Wellington. The incumbent was Celia Wade-Brown, who was first elected in the 2010 mayoral election. Wade-Brown did not seek re-election. Her title was pursued by her deputy, Justin Lester, councillors Jo Coughlan, Andy Foster, Helene Ritchie and Nicola Young, former mayor of Porirua City Nick Leggett and independent candidates Keith Johnson and Johnny Overton.
The 1992 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the held that same year. In 1992, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government roles including 21 councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The Wellington Citizens' Association, was a right-leaning local body electoral ticket in Wellington, New Zealand. It was formed in 1911 by merging the selection process of council candidates of several civic interest groups and business lobby groups. Its main ambitions were to continue to control the Wellington City Council, reduce local spending and deny left-leaning Labour Party candidates being elected.
The 1977 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1977, election were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including eighteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1947 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1947, election were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1956 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1956, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1959 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1959, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Helene Ruth Paula Ritchie is a former local body politician, registered psychologist and mediator, and a board member from Wellington, New Zealand. As Wellington's longest serving City Councillor of over 30 years, she led the Labour team to a majority position on the council. Later, she was the first female deputy mayor and chaired the Wellington Airport Authority and its successor for eight years.
The 1965 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1965, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1998 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1998, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including 18 councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1971 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1971, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1983 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1983, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including eighteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1986 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1986, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1986 Wellington local elections were part of the 1986 New Zealand local elections, to elect members to sub-national councils and boards. The Wellington elections cover one regional council, eight territorial authority councils, three district health boards, and various local boards and licensing trusts. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 2022 Wellington Region local elections were held on 8 October 2022 as part of the wider 2022 New Zealand local elections to elect members to sub-national councils and boards. These elections covered one regional council, eight territorial authorities, and various community boards and licensing trusts.
| Mayors | | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayoral elections |
| ||||||
| Local elections | |||||||
| |||||||
