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1966 New Zealand general election

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1966 New Zealand general election

← 1963 26 November 1966 (1966-11-26) 1969 →

80 seats in the Parliament
41 seats needed for a majority
Turnout1,205,095 (86.0%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Keith Holyoake Norman Kirk Vernon Cracknell
Party National Labour Social Credit
Leader since 13 August 1957 9 December 1965 12 May 1963
Leader's seat Pahiatua Lyttelton Hobson
Last election 45 seats, 47.1% 35 seats, 43.7% 0 seats, 7.9%
Seats won 44 35 1
Seat change Decrease 1 Steady Increase 1
Popular vote 525,925 499,392 174,513
Percentage 43.6% 41.4% 14.5%
Swing Decrease 3.5% Decrease 2.3% Increase 6.6%

Results by electorate, shaded by winning margin

Prime Minister before election

Keith Holyoake
National

Subsequent Prime Minister

Keith Holyoake
National

The 1966 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 35th term. It saw the governing National Party win a third consecutive term in office. It was also the first time since the 1943 election that a minor party won a seat in Parliament.

Background

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The National Party had established its second administration following the 1960 elections, and had been re-elected in the 1963 election. Keith Holyoake remained Prime Minister. The Labour Party experienced a leadership change shortly before the 1966 elections: Arnold Nordmeyer, who was closely associated with an unpopular previous Labour government, was replaced by the younger Norman Kirk. Labour remained disunited, however, with ongoing leadership problems undermining Kirk's position. Disagreement between unionists and non-unionists regarding economic policy also weakened the party.

One significant issue that divided National and Labour in the 1966 elections was the question of New Zealand's participation in the Vietnam War. Under National, New Zealand contributed a small number of troops, which Holyoake strongly defended during the election campaign. Labour, by contrast, made the recall of troops one of its key policies; former Labour leader Walter Nash was a particularly strong critic of the war. Nash believed that Labour's failure to win the election was because of its principled anti-Vietnam war policy, despite voters preferring Labour's economic policy to National's.[1]

MPs retiring in 1966

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Eight National MPs and two Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 34th Parliament.

Party Name Electorate
National Geoff Gerard Ashburton
William Sheat Egmont
Blair Tennent Manawatu
Ernest Aderman New Plymouth
Dean Eyre North Shore
Geoffrey Sim Piako
Ronald Algie Remuera
John McAlpine Selwyn
Labour Jim Edwards Napier
Rex Mason New Lynn

The election

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Kirk opening Labour's campaign

The date for the main 1966 elections was 26 November. 1,409,600 people were registered to vote. Turnout was 86.0%, a number relatively low for the time. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902. It was, however, the last election in which the number of seats was set at this level.

Election results

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Party standings

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The 1966 election saw the governing National Party retain office by an eight-seat margin. It had previously held office by a ten-seat margin — the drop was a result of losing the Hobson seat to Social Credit's Vernon Cracknell. National won a total of forty-four seats, while the Labour Party remained static on thirty-five. In the popular vote, the parties were closer — National won 43.6% to Labour's 41.4%. The Social Credit Party won 14.5% of the vote and one seat.

Election results
Party Candidates Total votes Percentage Seats won Change
National 80 525,945 43.64 44 −1
Labour 80 499,392 41.44 35 ±0
Social Credit 80 174,513 14.48 1 +1
Communist 8 3,167 0.26 0 ±0
Democratic 4 1,916 0.15 0 ±0
Independents 9 3,327 0.27 0 ±0
Total 261 1,205,095 80

Votes summary

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Popular Vote
National
43.64%
Labour
41.44%
Social Credit
14.48%
Other
0.70%
Parliament seats
National
55.00%
Labour
43.75%
Social Credit
1.25%

Initial MPs

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The table below shows the results of the 1966 general election:

Key

  National   Labour   Social Credit

Electorate results for the 1966 New Zealand general election[2]
Electorate Incumbent Winner Majority Runner up
General electorates
Ashburton Geoff Gerard Rob Talbot 983 John Srhoy
Auckland Central Norman Douglas 2,562 Marie Quinn
Avon John Mathison 5,232 Dick Dawson
Awarua Gordon Grieve 3,222 M E Booker
Bay of Plenty Percy Allen 3,596 Leonard Thomas Fischer
Buller Bill Rowling 1,822 Ernie King
Christchurch Central Robert Macfarlane 1,409 Fred Francis
Clutha Peter Gordon 3,312 Les McKay
Dunedin Central Brian MacDonell 1,245 John Farry
Dunedin North Ethel McMillan 2,833 George Barry Gerard
Eden John Rae 2,548 John William Stewart
Egmont William Sheat Venn Young 3,262 H N Johnston
Fendalton Harry Lake 2,271 Bruce Barclay
Franklin Alfred E. Allen 5,083 Ron Ng-Waishing
Gisborne Esme Tombleson 1,432 Bob MacDonald
Grey Lynn Ritchie Macdonald 4,399 Horace Alexander Nash
Hamilton Lance Adams-Schneider 2,225 Bob Reese
Hastings Duncan MacIntyre 2,129 Sonja Davies
Hauraki Arthur Kinsella 2,336 Henry Uttinger
Hawkes Bay Richard Harrison 3,915 L K Evans
Heretaunga Ron Bailey 2,647 Ian Ross
Hobson Logan Sloane Vernon Cracknell 490 Logan Sloane
Hutt Sir Walter Nash 1,949 John Kennedy-Good
Invercargill Ralph Hanan 2,396 Noel Valentine
Island Bay Arnold Nordmeyer 2,806 Saul Goldsmith[3]
Karori Jack Marshall 5,270 Peter Blizard
Lyttelton Norman Kirk 2,121 Peter de Latour
Manawatu Blair Tennent Les Gandar 2,298 Ernie Hemmingsen
Manukau Colin Moyle 2,728 Max Louis Peers
Manurewa Phil Amos 2,389 B F Kimpton
Marlborough Tom Shand 732 Gerry Wall
Marsden Don McKay 4,077 O J Lewis
Miramar Bill Fox Bill Young 146 Bill Fox
Mt Albert Warren Freer 2,654 Tom Hibbert
Napier Jim Edwards Gordon Christie 393 Maurice Kidson
Nelson Stan Whitehead 2,045 Edwin Slack
New Lynn Rex Mason Jonathan Hunt 3,727 Kevin Patrick Lynch
New Plymouth Ernest Aderman Ron Barclay 78 Brian Clark
North Shore Dean Eyre George Gair 1,108 Michael Bassett
Onehunga Hugh Watt 4,265 Daphne Double
Otago Central Jack George 2,305 Brian Griffiths
Otaki Allan McCready 3,575 Glen Herbert
Pahiatua Keith Holyoake 5,291 F M O'Brien
Pakuranga Bob Tizard 2,259 Victor David Thompson
Palmerston North Bill Brown 259 Joe Walding
Petone Mick Moohan 2,607 Joe Miller
Piako Geoffrey Sim Jack Luxton 3,884 Myles Edward Barroclough
Porirua Henry May 1,928 Rick Stevenson
Raglan Douglas Carter 1,659 Ronald Nelson Little
Rangiora Lorrie Pickering 957 Te Rino Tirikatene
Rangitikei Norman Shelton 4,005 Russell Wiseman
Remuera Ronald Algie Allan Highet 6,660 Bill Nairn
Riccarton Mick Connelly 2,725 Ian Wilson
Rodney Jack Scott 2,722 Nevern McConachy
Roskill Arthur Faulkner 3,822 Anthony Cook
Rotorua Harry Lapwood 2,298 Frank Knipe
St Albans Bert Walker 2,575 Ted Adcock
St Kilda Bill Fraser 2,809 R M Hall
Selwyn John McAlpine Colin McLachlan 2,597 Thomas Kelvin Campbell
Stratford David Thomson 4,115 David Butler
Sydenham Mabel Howard 3,947 Helen Garrett
Tamaki Robert Muldoon 2,827 Kevin Ryan
Taupo Rona Stevenson 258 Barry Gustafson
Tauranga George Walsh 2,299 Olive Smuts-Kennedy
Timaru Sir Basil Arthur 3,108 Norman Stanley Brown
Waimarino Roy Jack 2,491 Shaun Alex Cameron
Waipa Leslie Munro 3,081 Neil Roger David Shewan
Wairarapa Haddon Donald 533 Jack Williams
Waitakere Martyn Finlay 3,813 Peter Wilkinson
Waitaki Allan Dick 2,009 Stan Rodger
Waitemata Norman King 3,832 Terry Power
Waitomo David Seath 4,442 Arthur John Ingram
Wallace Brian Talboys 3,965 Aubrey Begg
Wanganui George Spooner 908 John Grace
Wellington Central Dan Riddiford 1,713 Rolland O'Regan
Westland Paddy Blanchfield 4,041 George Ferguson
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori Puti Tipene Watene 3,121 Arnold Reedy [4]
Northern Maori Matiu Rata 4,297 F R Wilcox
Southern Maori Eruera Tirikatene 3,832 Baden Pere
Western Maori Iriaka Rātana 5,580 Timi Te Heuheu

Notes

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  1. ^ Sinclair 1976, p. 364.
  2. ^ Norton 1988.
  3. ^ Gustafson 1986, pp. 364f.
  4. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 383.

References

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  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
  • Sinclair, Keith (1976). Walter Nash. Auckland: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-647949-5.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.