The Bay of Islands by-election of 1929 was a by-election held on 10 April 1929 during the 22nd New Zealand Parliament in the Northland electorate of Bay of Islands. The by-election came about because Harold Rushworth's win in the general election of the previous year was declared void. The seat was won again by Harold Rushworth of the Country Party.
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Turnout | 8,331 (89.49%) | |||||||||||||||
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General election
editHarold Rushworth was originally declared the winner of the general election.[1]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 3,820 | 47.83 | ||
Reform | Allen Bell | 3,818 | 47.80 | −8.44 | |
Liberal–Labour | Robert Hornblow | 349 | 4.37 | +0.72 | |
Majority | 2 | 0.03 | −37.20 | ||
Informal votes | 59 | 0.73 | −0.26 | ||
Turnout | 8,046 | 86.43 | −3.58 | ||
Registered electors | 9,309 |
Cause of by-election
editSupporters of Allen Bell filed a petition to the electoral court complaining of voting irregularities.[3] Bell, however, claimed that he would take no part in any attempts to upset the election, leaving it up to his supporters.[4] This petition was ultimately successful and it was announced by the court that a by-election should take place for the seat.[5]
Selection process
editBoth Rushworth and Bell decided to run again for the seat.[6]
The Labour Party refused to put up a candidate, believing that the two candidates who had tied with each other should compete in the by-election.[7]
Result
editRushworth won the by-election.[8][9]
This by-election clearly created much interest as the turnout was higher here than it was at the general election. Rushworth's improved showing can be put down to the fact that he got most of the votes that were previously cast for Hornblow.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 4,385 | 52.86 | +5.03 | |
Reform | Allen Bell | 3,911 | 47.14 | −0.66 | |
Majority | 474 | 5.71 | +5.69 | ||
Informal votes | 35 | 0.42 | −0.31 | ||
Turnout | 8,331 | 89.49 | +3.06 | ||
Country Party gain from Reform | Swing | ||||
Registered electors | 9,309 |
References
edit- ^ a b The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ "Public Notices". Auckland Star. Vol. LIX, no. 302. 21 December 1928. p. 5. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "Petition to be lodged". The Evening Post. Vol. CVI, no. 145. 21 December 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 21 August 2011 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Bay of Islands seat". The Evening Post. 8 December 1928. p. 10. Retrieved 21 August 2011 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Election Upset". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 24. 29 January 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 21 August 2011 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Bay of Island Seat - Two Nominees". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 70. 26 March 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 21 August 2011 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "The by-election - no Labour Candidate". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 51. 5 March 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 21 August 2011 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 136.
- ^ a b "Bay of Islands Seat – Final Figures Announced". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 91. 20 April 1929. p. 10. Retrieved 21 August 2011.