1947_Wellington_City_mayoral_election
1947 Wellington City mayoral election
New Zealand mayoral election
The 1947 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1947, election 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.
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| Turnout | 49,842 (50.63%) | |||||||||||||||
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The Citizens' Association reselected the incumbent mayor Will Appleton. He had been mayor for three years and a councillor for thirteen years prior. He had been chairman of the works committee since 1933. All eleven Citizens' councillors who were not retiring were reselected.[1]
The Labour Party almost decided not to contest the mayoralty. When the Wellington Labour Representation Committee met to discuss the municipal elections a motion to put up a mayoral candidate was carried by only thirty-seven votes to thirty-five.[2] Ultimately it selected Newtown businessman Nathan Richard Seddon as its candidate.[3] He was the Chairman of the Wellington Education Board and a grand nephew of Richard Seddon, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | Will Appleton | 27,000 | 54.17 | -4.63 | |
| Labour | Nathan Seddon | 22,444 | 45.04 | ||
| Informal votes | 398 | 0.79 | -0.42 | ||
| Majority | 4,556 | 9.14 | -9.69 | ||
| Turnout | 49,842 | 50.63 | -8.24 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | Elizabeth Gilmer | 30,258 | 60.70 | +1.34 | |
| Citizens' | Robert Macalister | 27,455 | 55.08 | +1.03 | |
| Citizens' | Charles Treadwell | 27,361 | 54.89 | ||
| Citizens' | Frederick Furkert | 25,947 | 52.05 | -1.89 | |
| Citizens' | Malcolm Galloway | 25,795 | 51.75 | -1.28 | |
| Citizens' | Ernest Toop | 25,764 | 51.69 | +0.99 | |
| Citizens' | Len Jacobsen | 25,743 | 51.64 | +1.62 | |
| Citizens' | Stewart Hardy | 25,604 | 51.37 | ||
| Citizens' | Sandy Pope | 25,386 | 50.93 | +1.02 | |
| Citizens' | Harry Nankervis | 24,979 | 50.11 | ||
| Citizens' | William Stevens | 24,782 | 49.72 | +1.51 | |
| Citizens' | Denis McGrath | 24,477 | 49.10 | ||
| Citizens' | Archibald Richardson | 23,438 | 47.02 | ||
| Citizens' | William Birthwhistle | 23,256 | 46.65 | ||
| Citizens' | Jack Living | 22,960 | 46.06 | ||
| Labour | Eugene Casey | 20,521 | 41.17 | ||
| Labour | John Churchill | 19,885 | 39.89 | +1.39 | |
| Labour | John Fleming | 19,225 | 38.57 | +2.65 | |
| Labour | James Roberts | 19,209 | 38.53 | ||
| Labour | Jack Arthurs | 18,694 | 37.50 | +3.25 | |
| Labour | Ethel Harris | 18,045 | 36.20 | +3.93 | |
| Labour | Phil Holloway | 17,763 | 35.63 | ||
| Labour | William Sadd | 17,728 | 35.56 | ||
| Labour | William Wilson | 17,544 | 35.19 | ||
| Labour | Henry Lees | 17,438 | 34.98 | ||
| Labour | Percival Hansen | 17,413 | 34.93 | -1.49 | |
| Labour | Edward Williams | 17,223 | 34.55 | ||
| Labour | Frank O'Flynn | 16,969 | 34.04 | ||
| Labour | Albert Wathey | 16,548 | 33.20 | ||
| Communist | Connie Birchfield | 6,672 | 13.38 | ||
| Communist | Peter McAra | 4,708 | 9.44 | ||
- "Citizens' Ticket - Municipal Elections". The Evening Post. 8 September 1947.
- Betts 1970, p. 146.
- "Labour Ticket For Wellington". Northern Advocate. 19 July 1947. p. 7.
- "Death of Mr N. R. Seddon". Otago Daily Times. No. 27404. 1 May 1950. p. 8.
- Norrie, J (1 December 1947). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.
- Betts, George (1970). Betts on Wellington: A City and its Politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN 0 589 00469 7.
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