New Zealand general election, 1951

New Zealand general election, 1951

1 September 1951 (1951-09-01)

All 80 seats in the New Zealand Parliament 41 seats were needed for a majority Turnout 1,069,791   First party Second party   Leader Sidney Holland Walter Nash Party National Labour Leader since 1940 1951 Leader's seat Fendalton Hutt Last election 46 seats, 51.9% 34 seats, 47.2% Seats won 50 30 Seat change 4 4 Popular vote 577,630 490,143 Percentage 54.0% 45.8% Swing 2.1% 4.1%

Prime Minister before election Sidney Holland National Elected Prime Minister Sidney Holland National

The 1951 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 30th term. The First National Government was re-elected, with the National Party increasing its lead over the opposition Labour Party.

Background

The National Party had formed its first administration after the 1949 elections, in which it had ended four terms of government by the Labour Party.^[1] The National government, with Sidney Holland as Prime Minister, had undertaken a number of economic and constitutional reforms, although it had not seriously modified the new social welfare system which Labour had introduced. Labour's leader, Peter Fraser, had died in December 1950 after a long period of poor health, and had been replaced in January 1951 by Walter Nash. Nash had been Minister of Finance for the duration of the first Labour government.^[2]

The most significant issue in the 1951 elections was the growing industrial unrest of the time, particularly the ongoing dockworkers dispute. Holland condemned the strikers, calling the situation "industrial anarchy". The Labour Party, under Nash, attempted to take a moderate position in the dispute, but ended up displeasing both sides. Holland, seeking a mandate to respond strongly to the strike, called a snap election. Another issue was high inflation, which frustrated voters and without the strike, might have threatened Holland's government.

The election

The date for the main 1951 elections was 1 September, and for the first time, elections to the four Maori seats were held on the same day.^[3] The 1951 elections were also the first under the new regulations which required elections to be held on a Saturday. 1,205,762 people were registered to vote, and turnout was 89.1%.^[4] The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.^[5]

Results

Party standings

The 1951 election saw the governing National Party re-elected with a twenty-seat margin, a substantial improvement on the twelve-seat margin it previously held. National won fifty seats compared with the Labour Party's thirty.^[5] The popular vote was closer, however, with National winning 54% to Labour's 46%.^[6] No seats were won by minor party candidates or by independents.^[7] This was the last New Zealand general election in which any party has ever captured a majority of the popular vote.^[6]

Votes summary

Notes

References

• 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. 
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 

Elections and referendums in New Zealand
General elections	1853 1855 1860–61 1866 1871 1875–76 1879 1881 1884 1887 1890 1893 1896 1899 1902 1905 1908 1911 1914 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1935 1938 1943 1946 1949 1951 1954 1957 1960 1963 1966 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 Next
Local elections	2004 2007 2010 2013 2016 2019
Referendums	Parliament initiated Alcohol licensing, 1894–1987 Gambling, 1949 Military training, 1949 Sale of Liquor, 1949 Parliamentary term, 1967 Sale of Liquor, 1967 Parliamentary term, 1990 Voting system, 1992 Voting system, 1993 Pensions, 1997 Voting system, 2011 Flag, 2015–16 Citizens initiated Firefighters, 1995 Justice, 1999 MP reduction, 1999 Smacking, 2009 Asset sales, 2013
By-elections Supplementary elections