The Tauranga by-election of 1923 was a by-election during the 21st New Zealand Parliament in the Tauranga electorate. The seat became vacant due to the death of the sitting Member, William Herries.[1] The election was held on 28 March 1923 and won by Charles Macmillan, who defeated the former prime minister Joseph Ward.[2]
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| Turnout | 7,630 (85.53%) | |||||||||||||||
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Background
editTwo candidates contested the seat. The first was Charles Macmillan, a former Mayor of Tauranga (1915–1917. Macmillan represented the Reform Party and was put forward by the party to succeed Herries.[3] The other candidate was Sir Joseph Ward, a former Liberal party Prime Minister.[4]
The Labour Party took a keen interest in the by-election. Leader Harry Holland was fearful that Ward's return to Parliament might result in a revival of the Liberals, delaying Labour's rise as the main left-wing party. As a result, he sought to stand a candidate to split the anti-Reform vote. He was overruled however, by the party executive citing the lack of any established branches within the electorate and the possibility of a poor showing by the candidate damaging party morale and credibility.[5]
Result
editMacmillan won the by-election;[6] Ward's defeat was humiliating to him.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Charles Macmillan | 4,360 | 57.41 | ||
| Liberal | Sir Joseph Ward | 3,235 | 42.59 | ||
| Informal votes | 35 | 0.46 | |||
| Majority | 1,125 | 14.81 | |||
| Turnout | 7,630 | 85.53 | |||
| Registered electors | 8,921 | ||||
| Reform hold | Swing | ||||
Macmillan remained as Tauranga's representative until his defeat at the 1935 election.[6] Ward was thought to be a spent force,[4] but he was returned to Parliament again in the 1925 election,[8] and then went on to become Prime Minister again in 1928.[9] He retired in 1930, and died soon after.[4]
Notes
edit- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 113.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 124.
- ^ "Reform Candidate Starts". The Evening Post. Vol. CV, no. 54. 5 March 1923. p. 8. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d Bassett, Michael. "Ward, Joseph George". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ O'Farrell 1964, p. 128.
- ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 217.
- ^ Hislop 1923, p. 10.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 146.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 30.
References
edit- Hislop, J. (1923). The General Election, 1922. Government Printer. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- O'Farrell, P.J. (1964). Harry Holland: Militant Socialist. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University Press.
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.