1953 Christchurch mayoral election

* * *

| <- 1950 | 31 October 1953 | 1956 ->

|
|

Turnout| 40,930 (48.80%)
|  |  |

|
|

Candidate  | Robert Macfarlane | James Hay
Party  | Labour | Citizens'
Popular vote  | 21,316  | 19,419
Percentage  | 52.07  | 47.44

* * *

| Mayor before election

Robert Macfarlane

| Elected Mayor

Robert Macfarlane

|

The 1953 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1953, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

## Campaign[edit]

Sitting mayor Robert Macfarlane was re-elected with the largest majority he had won so far against city councillor James Hay. The Labour Party lost two seats on the Council but retained their majority, winning ten seats to the nine won by the Citizens' Association.

A major talking point in the lead up to the election was the potential of a clash with the 1953 Royal Tour.[1] There were proposals to postpone local elections until early 1954 over fears of reduced turnout due to a conflicted schedule. The proposals were considered by the Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin, who ultimately decided against it.[2]

## Mayoralty results[edit]

The following table gives the election results:

1953 Christchurch mayoral election[3] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Robert Macfarlane | 21,316  | 52.07  | +6.17
| Citizens'  | James Hay | 19,419  | 47.44  |
Informal votes  | 195  | 0.47  | -0.62
Majority  | 1,897  | 4.63  | +1.12
Turnout | 40,930  | 48.80  | +11.72

## Council results[edit]

1953 Christchurch local election[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | George Manning | 22,961  | 56.09  | -0.61
| Labour | Terry McCombs | 22,326  | 54.54  | +2.84
| Labour | Mabel Howard | 21,145  | 51.66  | -0.52
| Labour | John Mathison | 20,373  | 49.77  | +1.05
| Labour | Teresa Green  | 20,278  | 49.54  | -2.35
| Labour | Lyn Christie  | 19,548  | 47.75  | -0.70
| Citizens' | Mary McLean | 19,431 | 47.47 | +0.05
| Citizens' | Bill MacGibbon | 19,344 | 47.26 |
| Citizens' | Ernest Adams | 19,198 | 46.90 |
| Citizens' | Leslie George Amos | 18,784 | 45.89 | -2.83
| Citizens' | Bill Glue | 18,777 | 45.87 | -0.51
| Labour | Charles Baldwin  | 18,636  | 45.53  | +1.52
| Labour | Norman Reginald Forbes  | 18,253  | 44.59  | +2.02
| Citizens' | Clyde Sheppard | 17,836 | 43.57 | -0.52
| Labour | John Edward Jones  | 17,692  | 43.22  | +1.81
| Citizens' | Ron Guthrey | 17,659 | 43.14 | +0.11
| Citizens' | John Edward Tait | 17,626 | 43.06 | -1.05
| Citizens' | Frederick Cuthbert Penfold | 17,417 | 42.55 |
| Labour | James Shankland Sr.  | 17,405  | 42.52  | +1.18
| Citizens'  | William James Cowles  | 17,132  | 41.85  | +0.58
| Citizens'  | Harold Smith  | 16,994  | 41.51  | +2.37
| Citizens'  | Frank Llewellyn Brandt  | 16,887  | 41.25  | +0.47
| Citizens'  | Reginald Gilbert Brown  | 16,801  | 41.04  | -1.02
| Citizens'  | Frederick Reuben Price  | 16,528  | 40.38  |
| Labour | Arthur John Smith  | 16,479  | 40.26  | -3.99
| Labour | James Sturrock  | 16,479  | 40.26  | -1.91
| Labour | James Shankland Jr.  | 16,475  | 40.25  |
| Citizens'  | George Griffiths  | 16,466  | 40.22  | -0.14
| Labour | Percy Malcolm Velvin  | 16,449  | 40.18  | -2.20
| Labour | William Percy Warner  | 16,375  | 40.00  | -3.14
| Labour | Robert Newman  | 16,351  | 39.94  | -1.30
| Citizens'  | Jack Leslie Laby  | 16,339  | 39.91  | -0.74
| Labour | Roy Smith  | 16,093  | 39.31  |
| Citizens'  | Rolfe Neville  | 15,995  | 39.07  |
| Citizens'  | Avey Hudson Dale  | 15,870  | 38.77  |
| Labour | John Gordon Wilson Power  | 15,787  | 38.57  | -1.44
| Citizens'  | Arthur Norman Stone  | 15,229  | 37.20  | -1.59
| Citizens'  | John Morrison  | 14,991  | 36.62  |
| Independent | Charles Seymour Trillo  | 3,977  | 9.71  |
| Communist | Jack Locke  | 2,899  | 7.08  |
| Communist | Alec Ostler  | 2,190  | 5.35  | +1.75

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Move to Postpone Next Municipal Elections". The Evening Post. 18 October 1952.
2. ^ "Local Elections Date Fixed". The Evening Post. 28 January 1953.
3. ^ "Election of Mayor". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27199\. 17 November 1953. p. 13.
4. ^ "Christchurch City Council". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27199\. 17 November 1953. p. 13.

* v
* t
* e

Christchurch City Council

Civic offices|

* Christchurch Land Office (1862–1887)
* Our City (1887–1924)
* Civic (1924–1980)
* Tuam Street civic offices (1980–2010)
* Hereford Street civic offices (2010–present)

Companies and assets|

| held through CCHL
(ownership percentage)|

* City Care (100%)
* Ecocentral Ltd (100%)
* Enable Networks (100%)
* Christchurch Airport (75%)
* Lyttelton Port Company (79.3%)
* Orion New Zealand (89.3%)
* Red Bus (100%)

|

other assets|

* Art Gallery
* Botanic Gardens
* Bus Interchange
* Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings
* Canterbury Museum
* Hagley Park
* McDougall Art Gallery
* New Brighton Pier
* Sign of the Kiwi
* Sign of the Takahe
* Town Hall
* Tūranga
* Wastewater Treatment Plant

former assets|

* Bus Exchange
* Christchurch Central Library
* Christchurch Convention Centre
* Queen Elizabeth II Park

Services|

* Christchurch City Libraries
* The Shuttle

Chairman (1862–1868)|

* John Hall
* John Ollivier
* Isaac Luck
* Edward Bishop
* William Wilson

Mayors (1868–present)|

| elected by councillors|

* William Wilson
* John Anderson
* Andrew Duncan
* James Jameson
* Henry Sawtell
* Edward Bishop
* Michael Hart
* Fred Hobbs

|

elected at large|

* Fred Hobbs
* James Gapes
* Henry Thomson
* Charles Thomas Ick
* James Gapes (2nd)
* George Ruddenklau
* Charles Hulbert
* Aaron Ayers
* Charles Louisson
* Samuel Manning
* Charles Gray
* William Prudhoe
* Eden George
* Thomas Gapes
* Walter Cooper
* Harry Beswick
* Walter Cooper (2nd)
* Charles Louisson (2nd)
* William Reece
* Arthur Rhodes
* Henry Wigram
* Charles Mathew Gray (2nd)
* John Hall
* George Payling
* Charles Allison
* Thomas Taylor
* John Joseph Dougall1
* Henry Holland
* Henry Thacker
* James Flesher
* Rev John Archer
* Dan Sullivan
* John Beanland
* Robert Macfarlane
* Ernest Andrews
* Robert Macfarlane (2nd)
* George Manning
* Ron Guthrey
* Neville Pickering
* Hamish Hay
* Vicki Buck
* Garry Moore
* Bob Parker
* Lianne Dalziel
* Phil Mauger

Mayoral elections|

| annual term|

* 1875†
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|

biennial term|

* 1915
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triennial term|

* 1935
* 1936‡
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* 1956
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* † Elected unopposed
* ‡ By-election
* 1 appointed following death of incumbent

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