1953 Wellington mayoral election

The 1953 Wellington mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1953, 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. == Background == Citizens' The incumbent mayor, Robert Macalister, announced his intention to stand for a second term. However, he was not the only aspirant for the Citizens' Association nomination. Despite an incumbent mayor in the running, unusually there were three other nominations. The four candidates before the Citizens' Association Committee were: Stewart Hardy, a lawyer and city councillor since 1947 Ken Luke, the recently retired City Engineer Robert Macalister, the sitting mayor since 1950 Ernest Toop, a businessman and city councillor since 1944 Macalister won renomination for the Citizens' candidacy. Labour The Labour Party re-selected city councillor Frank Kitts, who was its candidate in 1950. == Campaign == The mayoral contest was essentially a rematch from three years previously between Macalister and Kitts. There was the addition of a third candidate, Julius Hyde, stood as an independent campaigning on his opposition to the construction of an international airport in Wellington. A major talking point in the lead up to the election was the potential of a clash with the 1953 Royal Tour. There were proposals to postpone local elections until early 1954 over fears of reduced turnout due to a conflicted schedule. The proposals were considered by the Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin, who ultimately decided against it. == Mayoralty results == == Councillor results == Table footnotes: == References ==