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1962 Porirua mayoral election

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1962 Porirua mayoral election

13 October 1962 1965 →
Turnout2,426 (50.00%)
 
Candidate Whitford Brown Rairi Field Robert Bothamley
Party Independent Independent Independent
Popular vote 885 667 558
Percentage 36.47 27.49 23.00

Elected mayor

Whitford Brown

The 1962 Porirua mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Porirua plus other local government positions including ten borough councillors, also elected triennially. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

Background

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The locality of Porirua was part the Makara County Council which was abolished on 31 August 1962. The rural area became part of Hutt County, the urban area becoming Porirua Borough Council.[1]

The Labour Party selected a ticket for the mayoralty as well as council candidates. Makara County Councillor Whitford Brown was nominated as part of the Labour's ticket for the election, but he declined any party endorsement.[2] Brown attracted many Labour voters, particularly as Labour did not select a mayoral candidate after Brown his declination, and was successful in being elected Porirua's first mayor. He defeated four other candidates including another Makara County Councillor, Alf Mexted, and the former chairman of the Makara County Council, Robert Westley Bothamley, who was at the time the sitting chairman of the Hutt Valley Electric Board.[3]

The council had its first meeting on 24 October where members were sworn in and councillor Ernie Maxwell was appointed deputy mayor.[4]

Mayoral results

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1962 Porirua mayoral election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Whitford Brown 885 36.47
Independent Rairi Field 667 27.49
Independent Robert Westley Bothamley 558 23.00
Independent Labour Jim Hunter 161 6.63
Independent Alf Mexted 134 5.52
Informal votes 21 0.86
Majority 218 8.98
Turnout 2,426 50.00

Councillor results

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1962 Porirua Borough Council election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Whitford Brown[nb 1] 1,285 62.22
Independent Jill Nixon 1,157 56.02
Independent Christina Sylvia Bell 1,138 55.10
Independent Ernie Maxwell 1,033 50.02
Independent James Hamilton Wilson 1,011 48.95
Independent Charles Jane 1,005 48.66
Independent Bill Arnold 921 44.60
Independent Alf Mexted 874 42.32
Labour Duncan MacLeod 865 41.88
Labour Mervyn Down 852 41.25
Independent Matuaiwi Solomon 839 40.62
Independent Donald Collins 828 40.09
Independent John David Keay 825 39.95
Labour Brownie Pūriri 784 37.96
Labour Kevin Arthurs 782 37.86
Independent Hec Stuart 781 37.82
Independent John Marsh 735 35.59
Labour Emily Anne Moffitt 735 35.59
Labour Neville Collins 660 31.96
Labour Charles Weller 644 31.18
Independent Ivan Williams 571 27.65
Independent Walter Cecil Henderson 535 25.90
Independent Arthur Neville Cole 448 21.69
Communist Paul Potiki 379 18.35
Independent Jack Underhill 363 17.57
Communist Tommy Heptinstall 323 15.64
Independent Noel Tock 278 13.46

Table footnotes:

  1. ^ As Brown won the Mayoralty his election to the council was voided and his seat was awarded to the highest polling unsuccessful candidate.

References

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  1. ^ "NZ Elective Structures Since Colonisation". Porirua City Council. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Lively issue". The Evening Post. 15 October 1962. p. 10.
  3. ^ "Their First Mayor". The Evening Post. 15 October 1962. p. 16.
  4. ^ "Borough of Porirua - First Meeting of New Body". Kapi-Mana News. 31 October 1962. p. 14.
  5. ^ "Borough of Porirua - Declaration of Result of Poll—Mayor". The Evening Post. 20 October 1962. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Borough of Porirua - Declaration of Result of Poll—Councillors". The Evening Post. 20 October 1962. p. 3.