The 1894 Waitemata by-election was a by-election held on 9 April 1894 during the 12th New Zealand Parliament in the rural North Island seat of the Waitemata.
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The contest was won by the independent conservative candidate William Massey. Massey somewhat narrowly beat the Liberal candidate Jackson Palmer recording only a 173-vote majority.[1]
Background
editThe seat was declared vacant when sitting MP Richard Monk had his election declared void.[2] Opposition supporters in the Waitemata area sent a telegram to Massey asking him to stand in the by-election on their behalf. Massey was allegedly atop a haystack when the telegram arrived and it was passed up to him on a pitchfork. He decided to accept.[3] Massey's nomination for the election also came under scrutiny, with a written objection being lodged against him on the alleged ground that one of the men who nominated him was not qualified to do so.[4]
Massey's only opponent was Paeroa lawyer Jackson Palmer, an Independent Liberal, who had won the Waitemata seat previously, in the 1890 election.[5] Fellow conservative Eden George also intended to stand, but ultimately withdrew from the contest.[4]
Results
editThe following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Massey | 1,619 | 52.82 | ||
| Independent Liberal | Jackson Palmer | 1,446 | 47.17 | ||
| Majority | 173 | 5.64 | |||
| Turnout | 3,065 | ||||
Monk won the electorate again in 1896, and retired in 1902.[2] Massey stood successfully for Franklin in 1896 and was to stay in Parliament for the remaining 31 years of his life, serving as Prime Minister (1912–25).[3] Palmer would later win the seat of Ohinemuri in the election of 1899.[5]
Notes
edit- ^ a b "Waitemata Election". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXVI, no. 7794. 13 April 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 220.
- ^ a b Gustafson, Barry. "Massey, William Ferguson". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Waitemata Seat". Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXI, no. 6942. 4 April 1894. p. 3.
- ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 225.