1908 New Zealand general election

1908 New Zealand general election
← outgoing members elected members →
All 80 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives; 41 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	79.8%
	Results of the election.
Prime Minister before election; Joseph Ward; Liberal	Subsequent Prime Minister ; Joseph Ward; Liberal

The 1908 New Zealand general election was held on Tuesday, 17 and 24 November and 1 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 2 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 537,003 (79.8%) voters turned out to vote.^[1]

Changes to the electoral law

The Second Ballot Act 1908 provided for second or runoff ballots between the top two candidates where the top candidate did not get an absolute majority. The second ballot was held 7 days after the first ballot except in 10 large rural seats, where 14 days were allowed. In 1908, 22 second ballots were held on 24 November and 1 (Bay of Plenty) on 1 December. At the 1911 election, all 30 second ballots were held 7 days later.^[2] Two 1909 by-elections (in Rangitikei and Thames) also required second ballots.

The Second Ballot Act of 1908, which did not apply to the Maori electorates, was repealed in 1913.

Summary of results

Party totals

The following table gives party strengths and vote distribution.^[3]


Election results
Party		Candidates	Total votes	Percentage	Seats won	Change
	Liberal	108	315,220	58.7	50	-8
	Conservative	53	149,286	27.8	26	+10
	Ind. Labour League	11	16,974	3.1	1	+1
	Socialist	5	2,521	0.6	0	±0
	Independent	45	50,478	9.4	3	-1

Votes summary

Popular Vote

Liberal			58.7%
Conservative			27.8%
Ind. Labour League			3.1%
Socialist			0.6%
Independents			9.4%

Parliament seats

Liberal			62.50%
Conservative			32.50%
Ind. Labour League			1.25%
Independents			3.75%

Electorate results

The following are the results of the 1908 general election:

Key

Liberal Conservative Ind. Labour League Independent Liberal Liberal–Labour Independent

Electorate results for the 1908 New Zealand general election^[4]
Electorate	Incumbent			Majority
General electorates^{[nb 1]}
Ashburton		John McLachlan	William Nosworthy	747†	Frederick Flatman
Auckland Central		Alfred Kidd	Albert Glover	2,540	Alfred Kidd
Auckland East		Frederick Baume		1,096	William Richardson
Auckland West		Charles Poole		1,455	Robert Thompson
Avon		William Tanner	George Warren Russell	541†	William Tanner
Awarua		Joseph Ward		2,183	William Morris
Bay of Islands		Robert Houston	Vernon Reed	265	John Charles Johnson
Bay of Plenty		William Herries	William MacDonald	446†	James Gow
Bruce		James Allen		1,393	Joseph Mosley
Buller		James Colvin		997	Fergus Ferguson Munro
Chalmers		Edmund Allen	Edward Henry Clark	226	Edmund Allen
Christchurch East		Thomas Davey		1,666	James McCombs
Christchurch North		Charles Gray	Tommy Taylor	1,698	Charles Gray
Christchurch South		Harry Ell^{[nb 2]}		1,273	Jim Thorn
Clutha		Alexander Malcolm		1,799	Frank Isitt
Dunedin Central		John A. Millar	James Arnold	1,512	John McDonald
Dunedin North		Alfred Barclay	George Thomson	6	Alfred Barclay
Dunedin South		James Arnold	Thomas Sidey	1,830	Robert Rutherford Douglas
Dunedin West	New electorate		John A. Millar	2,447	Jim Munro
Eden		John Bollard		2,164	John Shackelford
Egmont		William Thomas Jennings	Bradshaw Dive	249	George Wake
Ellesmere		Heaton Rhodes		902	George Rennie
Franklin		William Massey		1,187	John McLarin
Geraldine		Frederick Flatman	Thomas Buxton	92	William Jeffries
Gisborne	New electorate		James Carroll	734	George Darton
Grey		Arthur Guinness		1,115	James Kerr^{[nb 3]}
Grey Lynn		George Fowlds		889	Oliver Nicholson
Hawke's Bay		Alfred Dillon		704	William Russell
Hurunui		Andrew Rutherford	George Forbes	597	Obed Clothier
Hutt		Thomas Wilford		1,538	Richard Shortt
Invercargill		Josiah Hanan		848	Arthur Paape
Kaiapoi		David Buddo		77	Richard Moore
Kaipara		John Stallworthy		283	Alfred Harding
Lyttelton		George Laurenson		803	Henry Thacker
Manawatu		John Stevens	Edward Newman	585	John Stevens
Manukau		Frederic Lang		1,369	Alfred Creamer
Marsden		Francis Mander		704	James Harrison
Masterton		Alexander Hogg		1,248	John Hunter
Mataura		Robert McNab	George Anderson	366	Robert McNab
Motueka		Roderick McKenzie		1,501	Frederick Smith
Napier		Alfred Fraser	Vigor Brown	1,035	Alfred Fraser
Nelson		John Graham		14	Harry Atmore
Oamaru		Thomas Young Duncan		613	James Mitchell
Ohinemuri		Hugh Poland		692†	Frederick Haselden
Oroua		Frank Lethbridge	David Guthrie	941	Owen Pleasants
Otaki		William Hughes Field	William Hughes Field	93	Byron Brown
Pahiatua		Robert Beatson Ross		264	James Cooper
Palmerston		William Wood	David Buick	81†	William Wood
Parnell		Frank Lawry		219	Edward George Britton Moss
Patea		Walter Symes	George Pearce	252	Charles E. Major
Rangitikei		Arthur Remington		158	Robert William Smith
Riccarton		George Witty		1,600	George Sheat
Selwyn		Charles Hardy		383	Joseph Ivess
Stratford	New electorate		John Hine	724	Walter Symes
Taranaki		Henry Okey		1,295	William Malone
Taieri		Donald Reid	Thomas Mackenzie	521	John Thomas Johnson
Taumarunui	New electorate		William Thomas Jennings	1,850	William Bowater
Tauranga	New electorate		William Herries	1,303	James Alexander Young
Thames		James McGowan		2,100	Ernest Deeble
Timaru		William Hall-Jones	James Craigie	380†	William David Campbell
Tuapeka		William Chapple	Robert Scott	697†	John MacPherson
Wairarapa		J. T. Marryat Hornsby	Walter Clarke Buchanan	136	J. T. Marryat Hornsby
Wairau		Charles H. Mills	John Duncan	252	Robert McArtney
Waikato		Henry Greenslade		493	Allen Bell
Waipawa		Charles Hall		50	George Hunter
Waitaki		William Steward		329	Francis Henry Smith
Waitemata		Ewen Alison	Leonard Phillips	903†	William Joseph Napier
Wakatipu		William Fraser		1,151	Andrew Martin
Wallace		John Charles Thomson		1,346	Dugald MacPherson
Wanganui		James Thomas Hogan		742†	George Hutchison
Wellington Central		Francis Fisher		143	Thomas Hislop
Wellington East		John Aitken	David McLaren	427†	Arthur Atkinson
Wellington North		Charles Hayward Izard	Alexander Herdman	826†	Frederick Bolton
Wellington South	New electorate		Robert Wright	558†	William Barber
Wellington Suburbs	New electorate		John Luke	1,148†	John Edward Fitzgerald
Westland		Tom Seddon		110	Henry Michel
Māori electorates^{[nb 4]}
Eastern Maori		Āpirana Ngata		3,010	Tiki Paaka
Northern Maori		Hone Heke		1,045	Hare te Rangi
Southern Maori		Tame Parata		7	Teone Hopere Wharewiti Uru
Western Maori		Henare Kaihau		757	Pepene Eketone

Table footnotes:

^ † in Majority column depicts electorates in which a second ballot was held.
^ Harry Ell was previously associated with the Liberal Party.
^ For some biographical details of James Kerr refer to his father's article
^ The affiliation of many of the Māori candidates is unknown or uncertain; note that the Second Ballot Act 1908 did not apply to Māori constituencies.

Summary of changes

A boundary redistribution resulted in the abolition of seven seats:
- Caversham, held by Thomas Sidey
- Courtenay, held by Charles Lewis
- Hawera, held by Charles E. Major
- Mount Ida, held by John MacPherson
- Newtown, held by William Barber
- Waiapu, held by James Carroll
- Waikouaiti, held by Thomas Mackenzie
At the same time, seven new seats came into being:
- Dunedin West
- Gisborne
- Stratford
- Taumarunui
- Tauranga
- Wellington South
- Wellington Suburbs

Notes

^ "General elections 1853–2005 – dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
^ McLintock, A. H. (1966). "Second Ballot System (1908–13)". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
^ Wilson 1985, pp. 287–289.
^ "The General Election, 1908". National Library. 1909. pp. 1–34. Retrieved 14 April 2012.

References

Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

[5] † in Majority column depicts electorates in which a second ballot was held.

[6] Harry Ell was previously associated with the Liberal Party.

[7] For some biographical details of James Kerr refer to his father's article

[8] The affiliation of many of the Māori candidates is unknown or uncertain; note that the Second Ballot Act 1908 did not apply to Māori constituencies.

[General_elections_1853-2005-1] "General elections 1853–2005 – dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2011.

[2] McLintock, A. H. (1966). "Second Ballot System (1908–13)". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 August 2013.

[FOOTNOTEWilson1985287–289-3] Wilson 1985, pp. 287–289.

[1908_election-4] "The General Election, 1908". National Library. 1909. pp. 1–34. Retrieved 14 April 2012.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[nb 1]

[nb 2]

[nb 3]

[nb 4]