1950 Wellington City mayoral election

The 1950 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1950, elections 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.

1950 Wellington City mayoral election
18 November 1950
Turnout33,802 (31.75%)
 
Candidate Robert Macalister Frank Kitts
Party Citizens' Labour
Popular vote 17,582 15,821
Percentage 52.02 46.80
Mayor before election

Will Appleton

 Elected Mayor

Robert Macalister

Background

Incumbent Mayor Will Appleton did not seek a third term. He was replaced as the Citizens' mayoral candidate by his deputy, Robert Macalister. The Citizens' Association was in disarray following an embarrassing selection row with several incumbents dumped from the ticket standing as an independent ticket. The group consisting of Councillors Malcolm Galloway, Berkeley Dallard, Sandy Pope, Len Jacobsen issued a statement saying: "Our stand is a protest against an unwise and grossly unjust selection of a secret clique."[1] All but Dallard were defeated.

The Wellington Labour Representation Committee (LRC) twice rejected recommendations from the Labour Party's national executive to not contest the mayoralty. The LRC carried an amendment that unless a full ticket (including a mayoral nomination) was to be fielded, the local-body elections would not be contested.[2] Frank Kitts was selected as the mayoral candidate. While he did not win the mayoralty, he and five others were the first Labour candidates elected as councillors since the 'Nathan Incident' in 1941. Labour actually won a majority of the vote, however due to an uneven vote dispersal between their candidates, they failed to win a majority on the council.[3]

Mayoralty results
1950 Wellington mayoral election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' Robert Macalister 17,582 52.02
Labour Frank Kitts 15,821 46.80
Informal votes 399 1.18 +0.39
Majority 1,761 5.20
Turnout 33,802 31.75 -18.88

Councillor results
1950 Wellington City Council election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' Elizabeth Gilmer 18,133 53.64 -7.06
Labour Mervyn Castle 17,050 50.44
Citizens' Charles Treadwell 16,023 47.40 -7.49
Citizens' Ernest Toop 15,723 46.51 -5.18
Labour Frank Kitts 15,657 46.31
Citizens' Stewart Hardy 14,501 42.89 -8.48
Citizens' Harry Nankervis 14,493 42.87 -7.24
Citizens' William Birtwhistle 14,076 41.64 -5.01
Labour John Churchill 13,961 41.30 +1.41
Citizens' William Stevens 13,636 40.34 -9.38
Labour James Roberts 13,627 40.31 +1.78
Labour William Sadd 13,561 40.11 +4.55
Citizens' Denis McGrath 13,523 40.00 -9.10
Labour Jack Arthurs 13,472 39.85 +2.35
Independent Citizens' Berkeley Dallard 13,434 39.74 +6.60
Labour Nigel Taylor 13,394 39.62
Citizens' Jack Living 13,297 39.33 -6.73
Independent Citizens' Malcolm Galloway 13,246 39.18 -12.57
Citizens' Stanley Dean 12,932 38.25 +17.56
Labour John Fleming 12,913 38.20 -0.37
Labour Ethel Harris 12,865 38.05 +1.85
Citizens' Ian Matheson 12,862 38.04
Labour Jim Bateman 12,770 37.77
Labour George Mathew 12,200 36.09
Independent Citizens' Sandy Pope 12,172 36.00 -14.93
Labour James Neale 12,110 35.82
Labour Raymond Toole 12,036 35.60
Labour Frank O'Flynn 12,011 35.53 +1.49
Independent Citizens' Len Jacobsen 11,796 34.89 -16.75
Labour Ernest Tregoweth 11,698 34.60
Citizens' James McDonald 11,687 34.57
Citizens' Edgar Goulden 9,273 27.43
Independent William Bacon 6,460 19.11 +0.50
Independent Leslie Austin 4,983 14.74 -6.47
Independent Thomas Callingham 3,899 11.53 +6.20
Communist Connie Birchfield 1,733 5.12 -8.26
Communist William Hunter 1,661 4.91
Communist Charlie Brooks 1,660 4.91
Communist Albert Birchfield 1,591 4.70
Communist Dorothy Stanton 1,239 3.66
Communist Ron Smith 1,183 3.49
Communist Kenneth Stanton 1,088 3.21
Communist Mary Ann Heptinstall 1,077 3.18
Communist Ray Nunes 864 2.55

Notes
  1. "Independents From Group to Contest Wellington City Council Election". The Dominion. 28 October 1950.
  2. Betts 1970, p. 146.
  3. Betts 1970, pp. 145–6.
  4. Coppin, William Stanley (30 November 1950). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.

References
  • 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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