1954 New Zealand general election

Background

The National Party had formed its first administration after the 1949 elections. It had then been re-elected by a large margin amid the industrial disputes of the 1951 election. The Prime Minister, Sidney Holland, was popular in many sectors of society for his strong line against striking dockworkers and coalminers, while Labour's leader, Walter Nash, had been criticised for his failure to take a firm stand on the issue. Labour was troubled by internal disputes, with Nash subjected to an unsuccessful leadership challenge only a few months before the election. For the election, the National government adopted a "steady as she goes" approach, saying that the country was in good hands and did not need any major policy realignments.

Nash tried to make the election about the issue of cost-of-living with most of Labour's campaign promises being financial policies. He frequently highlighted the fact that in 1949 National had promised to "make the pound go further" but five years on what cost £1 (20 shillings) now cost 28 shillings. Labour's campaign promises included raising the child allowance to 15 shillings a week, housing loans with only 3% interest and the introduction of a PAYE income taxation system. After a slow start to his campaign, things improved for Nash towards the end of his campaign. This was evidenced by his audiences becoming more enthusiastic such as one meeting held at the Auckland Town Hall where a crowd of 10,000 impatiently telling the first speaker, trade union president Fintan Patrick Walsh, to sit down and a chant of "we want Walter" breaking out.

The Social Credit campaign meetings aroused far more public interest than those of the main parties. A common public perception was Labour and National were increasingly close to each other on policies compared to the substantial policy differences in the 1930s. In an attempt to counter the public enthusiasm to Social Credit, Labour promised mid-campaign to make the state the sole authority for the issue of credit and currency.

Contemporary commentary in The New Zealand Listener noted the unusually quiet tone of the 1954 campaign, observing that while the absence of controversy may have led some to worry about public apathy, the gravity of electing a government still carried democratic weight. The article suggested that the electorate's familiarity with the major parties’ policies, combined with an educated public and increased access to political debate through radio broadcasts, meant that voters could make informed decisions even without attending campaign meetings in person.

The election

The date for the main 1954 elections was 13 November. 1,209,670 people were registered to vote, and turnout was 91.4%. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.

In what was described at the time as the most competitive election since 1935, the 1954 contest featured an unusually high number of candidates and the active presence of a third party in all but one seat. Fifteen electorates had no sitting member re-contesting due to retirements and boundary changes, while two others, Eden and Onslow, saw incumbent MPs standing against each other. Electoral boundary revisions were extensive, affecting nearly all electorates, and resulted in the abolition of six electorates (Arch Hill, Brooklyn, Mt. Victoria, Parnell, Piako, and Waimarino).

The following new (or reconstituted) electorates were introduced in 1954: Heretaunga, , Rotorua, Stratford, Waipa and Waitemata. Two candidates, both called John Stewart, came second; in for National and in for Labour.

MPs retiring in 1954

Ten MPs retired at the election, see cartoon.

Paddy Kearins also left parliament at the election. His electorate of was abolished and he failed to gain selection to stand for Labour in the replacement electorate of . Two Labour MPs had announced their intention to retire at the 1954 election (Harry Combs MP for Onslow and Arthur Osborne MP for Onehunga) but died before the end of the parliament.

Results

The 1954 election saw the governing National Party re-elected with a ten-seat margin, a drop from the twenty-seat margin it previously held. National won forty-five seats to the Labour Party's thirty-five. The popular vote was much closer, however, with the two parties separated by only 0.2% (1,602 votes). On preliminary results Labour was leading in 37 seats and was actually ahead of National in the popular vote by 0.33%. No seats were won by minor party candidates or by independents, but the new Social Credit Party managed to win 11.2% of the vote, and it can be argued that Social Credit saved the National Government by providing an alternative to Labour and so minimising the two-party swing. Nash argued that Social Credit's impact on the election was being a spoiler, claiming Labour was denied victory because of this.

Votes summary

The table below shows the results of the 1954 general election:

Key

|incumbent-party = New Zealand National Party |second-party = New Zealand Labour Party |incumbent-party = New Zealand National Party |winner-party = New Zealand Labour Party

Table footnotes

References

References

1. (12 November 1954). "Before the Election".
2. (12 November 1954). "Programme for November 13".
3. "The First Eleven (retiring MPs)". National Library of New Zealand.
4. (2 October 1954). "Party Influence Alleged In Candidate's Selection". [[The Evening Post (New Zealand).
5. (12 June 1954). "Mr. H. E. Combs, M.P., Dead". [[The Evening Post (New Zealand).
6. (16 November 1953). "Mr Osborne Dies After Long Illness". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
7. (15 November 1954). "Government Wins Election – Labour Gains Seven Seats". [[The Press]].
8. (15 November 1954). "Mr Nash Says Labour Will Continue Fight – A Statement Amended". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
9. Espiner, Guyon. (3 March 2012). "Profile: Labour deputy Grant Robertson". [[New Zealand Listener]].