1950 Wellington City mayoral election
 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 33,802 (31.75%) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
The 1950 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1950, 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
Incumbent Mayor Will Appleton did not seek a third term. He was succeeded by his deputy, Robert Macalister. While Frank Kitts did not win the mayoralty, he and five others were the first Labour candidates elected as councillors since the 'Nathan Incident' in 1941. Labour actually won a majority of the vote, however due to an uneven vote dispersal between their candidates, they failed to win a majority on the council.[1] The Citizens' Association was in disarray following an embarrassing selection row with several incumbents dumped from the ticket standing as an independent ticket. The group consisting of Councillors Malcolm Galloway, Berkeley Dallard, Sandy Pope, Leonard Jacobsen issued a statement saying: "Our stand is a protest against an unwise and grossly unjust selection of a secret clique."[2] All but Dallard were defeated.
Mayoralty results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | Robert Macalister | 17,582 | 52.02 | ||
| Labour | Frank Kitts | 15,821 | 46.80 | ||
| Informal votes | 399 | 1.18 | +0.39 | ||
| Majority | 1,761 | 5.20 | |||
| Turnout | 33,802 | 31.75 | -18.88 | ||
Councillor results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | Elizabeth Gilmer | 18,133 | 53.64 | -7.06 | |
| Labour | Mervyn Castle | 17,050 | 50.44 | ||
| Citizens' | Charles Treadwell | 16,023 | 47.40 | -7.49 | |
| Citizens' | Ernest Toop | 15,723 | 46.51 | -5.18 | |
| Labour | Frank Kitts | 15,657 | 46.31 | ||
| Citizens' | Stewart Hardy | 14,501 | 42.89 | -8.48 | |
| Citizens' | Harry Nankervis | 14,493 | 42.87 | -7.24 | |
| Citizens' | William Birtwhistle | 14,076 | 41.64 | -5.01 | |
| Labour | John Churchill | 13,961 | 41.30 | +1.41 | |
| Citizens' | William Stevens | 13,636 | 40.34 | -9.38 | |
| Labour | James Roberts | 13,627 | 40.31 | +1.78 | |
| Labour | William Sadd | 13,561 | 40.11 | +4.55 | |
| Citizens' | Denis McGrath | 13,523 | 40.00 | -9.10 | |
| Labour | Jack Arthurs | 13,472 | 39.85 | +2.35 | |
| Independent Citizens' | Berkeley Dallard | 13,434 | 39.74 | +6.60 | |
| Labour | Nigel Taylor | 13,394 | 39.62 | ||
| Citizens' | Jack Living | 13,297 | 39.33 | -6.73 | |
| Independent Citizens' | Malcolm Galloway | 13,246 | 39.18 | -12.57 | |
| Citizens' | Stanley Dean | 12,932 | 38.25 | +17.56 | |
| Labour | John Fleming | 12,913 | 38.20 | -0.37 | |
| Labour | Ethel Harris | 12,865 | 38.05 | +1.85 | |
| Citizens' | Ian Matheson | 12,862 | 38.04 | ||
| Labour | Jim Bateman | 12,770 | 37.77 | ||
| Labour | George Mathew | 12,200 | 36.09 | ||
| Independent Citizens' | Sandy Pope | 12,172 | 36.00 | -14.93 | |
| Labour | James Neale | 12,110 | 35.82 | ||
| Labour | Raymond Toole | 12,036 | 35.60 | ||
| Labour | Frank O'Flynn | 12,011 | 35.53 | +1.49 | |
| Independent Citizens' | Leonard Jacobsen | 11,796 | 34.89 | -16.75 | |
| Labour | Ernest Tregoweth | 11,698 | 34.60 | ||
| Citizens' | James McDonald | 11,687 | 34.57 | ||
| Citizens' | Edgar Goulden | 9,273 | 27.43 | ||
| Independent | William Bacon | 6,460 | 19.11 | +0.50 | |
| Independent | Leslie Austin | 4,983 | 14.74 | -6.47 | |
| Independent | Thomas Callingham | 3,899 | 11.53 | +6.20 | |
| Communist | Connie Birchfield | 1,733 | 5.12 | -8.26 | |
| Communist | William Hunter | 1,661 | 4.91 | ||
| Communist | Charlie Brooks | 1,660 | 4.91 | ||
| Communist | Albert Birchfield | 1,591 | 4.70 | ||
| Communist | Dorothy Stanton | 1,239 | 3.66 | ||
| Communist | Ron Smith | 1,183 | 3.49 | ||
| Communist | Kenneth Stanton | 1,088 | 3.21 | ||
| Communist | Mary Ann Heptinstall | 1,077 | 3.18 | ||
| Communist | Ray Nunes | 864 | 2.55 | ||
Notes
- ^ Betts 1970, pp. 146.
- ^ "Independents From Group to Contest Wellington City Council Election". The Dominion. 28 October 1950.
- ^ a b Coppin, William Stanley (30 November 1950). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.
References
- Betts, G.M. (1970). Betts on Wellington: a city and its politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN 0 589 00469 7.
| Mayors |  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayoral elections |
| ||||||
| Local elections | |||||||
| |||||||
