1949 New Zealand general election

none April 2024 April 2018 1949 New Zealand general election New Zealand 1949 parliamentary no 1946 New Zealand general election 1946 28th New Zealand Parliament 1951 New Zealand general election 1951 30th New Zealand Parliament All 80 seats in the New Zealand Parliament 41 seats were needed for a majority 29 (Māori) & 30 November (general) 1949 elected members 1,113,852 (96.3%) 200x200px Sidney Holland 26 November 1940 New Zealand National Party Fendalton 38 seats, 48.4% 46 8 556,805 51.9% 3.5% 200x200px Peter Fraser 4 April 1940 New Zealand Labour Party Brooklyn 42 seats, 51.3% 34 8 506,073 47.2% 4.1% 1949 New Zealand general election - Results.svg 400px Results of the election. Prime Minister Subsequent Prime Minister Peter Fraser Sidney Holland New Zealand Labour Party New Zealand National Party The 1949 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 29th term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the opposition National Party. This marked the end of the 14-year First Labour government and the beginning of the First National government. Background The Labour Party had formed its first ministry after winning the 1935 election, and had remained in power (with gradually decreasing majorities) since then. The National Party, formed by a merger of the parties which Labour had originally ousted, gradually increased its power in Parliament; the ineffectual Adam Hamilton was replaced by Sidney Holland, and internal disputes were gradually resolved. The Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, was increasingly weary. Ongoing shortages after World War II also eroded public support for the government. The National Party's decision not to repeal Labour's social welfare policies also increased its appeal. MPs retiring in 1949 Two Labour MPs and one National MP intended to retire at the end of the Parliament. Party Name Electorate rowspan=2 New Zealand Labour Party Labour David Coleman Gisborne Charles Petrie Otahuhu New Zealand National Party National Garnet Mackley Wairarapa The election The date for the main elections was a Wednesday 30 November. Elections to the four Māori electorates were held the day before—the 1949 elections were the last in which Māori voted on a different day. 1,113,852 people were registered to vote, although rolls for the Māori electorates were "woefully inadequate." Voter turnout for the elections is disputed, given the problems with the Māori roll—some sources place it at 93.5 percent, while others estimate 92.9 percent. Regardless, the turnout was relatively high for the time. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902. Election results Party standings The 1949 election saw the governing Labour Party defeated by a twelve-seat margin. It has previously held a four-seat majority. Labour won a total of 34 seats, as opposed to National's 46. The popular vote was considerably closer—Labour won 47.2 percent to National's 51.9 percent. No seats were won by minor party candidates or by independents. John A. Lee stood for Grey Lynn as the sole Democratic Labour candidate and got 2,627 votes, coming third. center Election resultsPartyCandidatesTotal votesPercentageSeats wonchangeNew Zealand National PartyNational80556,80551.8846 +8 New Zealand Labour PartyLabour80506,07347.1634 −8 Communist Party of New ZealandCommunist 163,4990.33 0 ±0 Democratic Labour Party (New Zealand)Democratic Labour12,6270.24 0 ±0Independent politicianOthers 19 4,150 0.39 0 ±0Total1961,073,15480 Votes summary Popular Vote #ddd 600px 410px National New Zealand National Party 51.88 Labour New Zealand Labour Party 47.16 Others #777777 0.96 Parliament seats #ddd 600px 410px National New Zealand National Party 57.50 Labour New Zealand Labour Party 42.50 Initial MPs The table below shows the results of the 1949 general election: Key New Zealand Labour Party New Zealand National Party Electorate results for the 1949 New Zealand general electionThe General Election, 1949 https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1950-I.2.3.2.43 National Library 3 January 2014 1–5, 8 1950 |- |colspan=8 style="background-color:#FFDEAD" | General electorates |- Arch Hill Bill Parry New Zealand Labour Party 5,174 Gordon Frederick Smith New Zealand National Party Ashburton Geoff Gerard New Zealand National Party 2,385 William Erle Rose New Zealand Labour Party Auckland Central Bill Anderton New Zealand Labour Party 2,799 Leonard Bradley New Zealand National Party Avon John Mathison New Zealand Labour Party 4,593 George Nelson Kinzett New Zealand National Party Awarua George Richard Herron New Zealand National Party 3,179 Neville PickeringNorton 1988 197 New Zealand Labour Party Bay of Plenty Bill Sullivan New Zealand National Party 3,680 Thomas Godfrey Santon New Zealand Labour Party Brooklyn Peter FraserWilson 1985 198 New Zealand Labour Party 2,956 Berta BurnsGustafson 1986 357 New Zealand National Party Buller Jerry Skinner New Zealand Labour Party 2,206 Phil McDonald New Zealand National Party Central Otago William Bodkin New Zealand National Party 3,906 Thomas Augustus Rodgers New Zealand Labour Party Christchurch Central Robert Macfarlane New Zealand Labour Party 3,637 Kevin Marlow New Zealand National Party Clutha James Roy New Zealand National Party 3,231 John Edward Keenan New Zealand Labour Party Dunedin Central Phil Connolly New Zealand Labour Party 989 David Murdoch New Zealand National Party Dunedin North Robert Walls New Zealand Labour Party 668 Richard Brickell New Zealand National Party Eden Wilfred Fortune New Zealand National Party 2,259 Pat Curran New Zealand Labour Party Egmont Ernest Corbett New Zealand National Party 4,539 Brian Edgar Richmond New Zealand Labour Party Fendalton Sidney Holland New Zealand National Party 4,076 Robert Newman New Zealand Labour Party Franklin Jack Massey New Zealand National Party 5,481 John Parsons New Zealand Labour Party Gisborne David Coleman New Zealand Labour Party Reginald Keeling New Zealand Labour Party 489 Harry DudfieldNorton 1988 228Gustafson 1986 308 New Zealand National Party Grey Lynn Fred Hackett New Zealand Labour Party 4,203 John Leon FaulknerNorton 1988 419 New Zealand National Party Hamilton Hilda Ross New Zealand National Party 1,605 Jack Granville New Zealand Labour Party Hastings Ted Cullen New Zealand Labour Party Sydney Jones New Zealand National Party 982 Ted Cullen New Zealand Labour Party |- | Hauraki | style="background-color:New Zealand National Party;" | | colspan=3 style="text-align:center;background-color:;" | Andy Sutherland | style="text-align:right;" | 3,944 | style="background-color:New Zealand Labour Party;" | | style="text-align:center;" | Percival Peacock |- Hawke's Bay Cyril Harker New Zealand National Party 3,442 Dick Beattie New Zealand Labour Party Hobson Sidney Walter Smith New Zealand National Party 5,068 William Edmund Lane New Zealand Labour Party Hurunui William Gillespie New Zealand National Party 2,535 Arthur J. Smith New Zealand Labour Party Hutt Walter Nash New Zealand Labour Party 2,273 Horace Leonard Heatley New Zealand National Party Invercargill Ralph Hanan New Zealand National Party 1,159 William Denham New Zealand Labour Party Island Bay Robert McKeen New Zealand Labour Party 2,770 Herbert Edward Childs New Zealand National Party Karori Charles Bowden New Zealand National Party 3,585 Ethel Harris New Zealand Labour Party Lyttelton Terry McCombs New Zealand Labour Party 978 Richard Ralph Beauchamp New Zealand National Party Manawatu Matthew Oram New Zealand National Party 3,433 Basil A. Rodgers New Zealand Labour Party Marlborough Tom Shand New Zealand National Party 1,862 James Harrison Wilson New Zealand Labour Party Marsden Alfred Murdoch New Zealand National Party 3,276 Douglas L. Ross New Zealand Labour Party Miramar Bob Semple New Zealand Labour Party 1,315 Cuthbert Taylor New Zealand National Party Mornington Wally Hudson New Zealand Labour Party 4,185 Geoffrey Stephens New Zealand National Party Mount Albert Warren Freer New Zealand Labour Party 931 Reg Judson New Zealand National Party Mount Victoria Jack Marshall New Zealand National Party 1,808 Nathan Seddon New Zealand Labour Party Napier Tommy Armstrong New Zealand Labour Party 721 William Tucker New Zealand National Party Nelson Edgar Neale New Zealand National Party 1,373 Reynell Marshall New Zealand Labour Party New Plymouth Ernest Aderman New Zealand National Party 1,517 Clarence Robert Parker New Zealand Labour Party North Shore Martyn Finlay New Zealand Labour Party Dean Eyre New Zealand National Party 1,344 Martyn Finlay New Zealand Labour Party Oamaru Arnold Nordmeyer New Zealand Labour Party Thomas Hayman New Zealand National Party 694 Arnold Nordmeyer New Zealand Labour Party Onehunga Arthur Osborne New Zealand Labour Party 2,300 Alan A. Coates New Zealand National Party Onslow Harry Combs New Zealand Labour Party 1,927 John S. MeadowcroftGustafson 1986 378 New Zealand National Party Otahuhu Charles Petrie New Zealand Labour Party Leon Götz New Zealand National Party 1,275 Alex Dixon New Zealand Labour Party Otaki Jimmy Maher New Zealand National Party 374 Denzil Capstick New Zealand Labour Party Pahiatua Keith Holyoake New Zealand National Party 4,507 George Patrick O'Leary New Zealand Labour Party Palmerston North Ormond Wilson New Zealand Labour Party Blair Tennent New Zealand National Party 518 Ormond Wilson New Zealand Labour Party Parnell Duncan Rae New Zealand National Party 960 Bill Schramm New Zealand Labour Party Patea William Sheat New Zealand National Party 1,841 Frederick William Finer New Zealand Labour Party Petone Mick Moohan New Zealand Labour Party 2,527 Norm Croft New Zealand National Party Piako Stan Goosman New Zealand National Party 6,266 Gilbert Parsons Kenah New Zealand Labour Party Ponsonby Ritchie Macdonald New Zealand Labour Party 2,278 Brian Kingston New Zealand National Party Raglan Alan Baxter New Zealand Labour Party Hallyburton Johnstone New Zealand National Party 1,022 Alan Baxter New Zealand Labour Party Rangitikei Edward Gordon New Zealand National Party 3,310 Eric De Malmanche New Zealand Labour Party Remuera Ronald Algie New Zealand National Party 5,079 Hugh WattNorton 1988 331 New Zealand Labour Party Riccarton Angus McLagan New Zealand Labour Party 2,707 Harry LakeGustafson 1986 325 New Zealand National Party Rodney Clifton Webb New Zealand National Party 4,546 Arthur Leaming New Zealand Labour Party Roskill Frank Langstone New Zealand Labour Party John Rae New Zealand National Party 1,415 James Freeman New Zealand Labour Party St Albans Jack Watts New Zealand National Party 1,142 George ManningSharfe Jean 5m33 Manning, George 17 February 2010 New Zealand Labour Party St Kilda Fred Jones New Zealand Labour Party 331 Gerald Lyon New Zealand National Party Selwyn John McAlpine New Zealand National Party 1,327 Alan Sharp New Zealand Labour Party Sydenham Mabel Howard New Zealand Labour Party 5,643 Oliver G. MoodyGustafson 1986 378 New Zealand National Party Tamaki Tom Skinner New Zealand Labour Party Eric Halstead New Zealand National Party 1,095 Tom Skinner New Zealand Labour Party Tauranga Frederick Doidge New Zealand National Party 4,595 Hillary Joseph Pickett New Zealand Labour Party Timaru Clyde Carr New Zealand Labour Party 832 Jack Lockington New Zealand National Party Waikato Geoffrey Sim New Zealand National Party 5,923 John Ronald Burfitt New Zealand Labour Party Waimarino Paddy Kearins New Zealand Labour Party 202 Arthur Herbert MacPherson New Zealand National Party Waimate David Campbell Kidd New Zealand National Party 1,767 Roy Davison New Zealand Labour Party Wairarapa Garnet Mackley New Zealand National Party Bert Cooksley New Zealand National Party 963 George Anders Hansen New Zealand Labour Party Waitakere Rex Mason New Zealand Labour Party 930 Robert Tapper New Zealand National Party Waitomo Walter Broadfoot New Zealand National Party 5,079 Frank Kitts New Zealand Labour Party Wallace Tom Macdonald New Zealand National Party 4,511 Herman Victor Freeman New Zealand Labour Party Wanganui Joe Cotterill New Zealand Labour Party 1,019 Ernest Victor O'Keefe New Zealand National Party Wellington Central Charles Chapman New Zealand Labour Party 575 Will Appleton New Zealand National Party Westland Jim Kent New Zealand Labour Party 2,744 Patrick Joseph O'Regan New Zealand National Party |- |colspan=8 style="background-color:#FFDEAD" | Māori electorates |- Eastern Maori Tiaki Omana New Zealand Labour Party 3,211 Turi Carroll New Zealand National Party Northern Maori Tapihana Paraire Paikea New Zealand Labour Party 2,029 James Henare New Zealand National Party Southern Maori Eruera Tirikatene New Zealand Labour Party 687 Huro Nathanial Bates New Zealand National Party Western Maori vacantnb Matiu Ratana, the previous holder of the Western Maori electorate, died on 7 October 1949. His wife Iriaka Rātana stood for election instead. Iriaka Rātana New Zealand Labour Party 6,317 Hoeroa Marumaru New Zealand National Party |} Table footnotes: nb Notes References Fraser S. E. The 1949 General Election MA 1967 Dunedin University of Otago Gustafson Barry Barry Gustafson The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party 1986 Reed Methuen Auckland 0-474-00177-6 McLennan R. The Last Years of the First Labour Government 1945–1949 MA 1963 Auckland University of Auckland Norton Clifford New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science 1988 Victoria University of Wellington Wellington 0-475-11200-8 Wilson Jim Jim Wilson (librarian) New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 4th First published in 1913 1985 V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer Wellington 154283103 Category:1949 in Oceania