1962 Buller by-election

New Zealand by-election

1962 Buller by-election

* * *

| <- 1960 general | 7 July 1962 (1962-07-07) | 1963 general ->

|
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Turnout| 11,691 (79.40%)
|  |  |  |

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Candidate  | Bill Rowling | Ernie King  | P. H. Matthews
Party  | Labour | National | Social Credit
Popular vote  | 5,242 | 4,846  | 1,566
Percentage  | 44.98 | 41.58  | 13.44

* * *

| Member before election

Jerry Skinner
Labour

| Elected Member

Bill Rowling
Labour

|

The Buller by-election 1962 was a by-election held in the Buller electorate in the West Coast during the term of the 33rd New Zealand Parliament, on 7 July 1962.

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Jerry Skinner of the Labour Party (and a likely future leader) on 26 April 1962.[1] The by-election was won by Bill Rowling, also of the Labour Party (and a future leader).[2] The Social Credit candidate P. H. Matthews was also the leader of the party.

## Date

[edit]

The initial date of the by-election announced by the Prime Minister Keith Holyoake was 21 July, contrary to expectations it would be early to mid June, by extending the time allowed for the issue of the writ in order to coincide with another by-election in Timaru. The Leader of the Opposition Walter Nash criticized the decision saying it was a "nullification of democracy" and motivated to place the election after the budget to allow the government to spend its money electioneering.[3] The Social Credit Party were also critical of the decision claiming National were frightened following its decreased majorities at the recent by-elections in Hurunui and Waitaki.[4] The decision to delay was later threatened on legal grounds by the Labour Party who challenged it in the Supreme Court.[5] The government backed down and changed the date to 7 July.[6]

## Candidates

[edit]

### Labour

[edit]

There were several names put forward as potential Labour nominees for the Labour Party candidacy:[7]

* Mr M. Organ, a Labour Party member formerly of the Westport branch
* Robert Philp, the chairman of the Buller County Council
* Neville Pickering, the former MP for St Albans
* Claude Rielly, of the Takaka branch of the Labour Party
* Bill Rowling, Labour's candidate for Fendalton in 1960
* Terry Skinner, Secretary of the Southern Buller Labour Representation Committee (Jerry Skinner's son)
* Philip Skoglund, the former MP for Palmerston North and Minister of Education

Rielly declined the invitation to seek the nomination and Philp withdrew after he suffered a mild stroke.[8] Rowling was chosen after winning a ballot of local party members at a meeting of party members in Murchison.[9][10]

### National

[edit]

Two people sought the National Party candidature.

* Ernie King, a stud stock specialist from Appleby who was National's candidate for Buller in 1960
* Mr C. M. Robertson, a company manager from Westport

King was chosen as the National candidate after winning a ballot of members at a meeting in Motueka.[10]

### Social Credit

[edit]

The Social Credit Party chose P. H. Matthews as their candidate. Matthews was leader of the party and had contested Buller in both 1957 and 1960.[11]

## Campaign

[edit]

The New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation announced there would be no pre-election addresses broadcast in the by-election but would have full coverage of the polling results.[12]

## Results

[edit]

The following table gives the election results:

1962 Buller by-election[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Bill Rowling | 5,242  | 44.98  |
| National | Ernie King  | 4,846  | 41.58  | +5.58
| Social Credit | P. H. Matthews | 1,566  | 13.44  | −1.36
Majority  | 396  | 3.40  |
Informal votes  | 37  | 0.32  |
Turnout | 11,691  | 79.40  | −12.70
Registered electors | 14,724  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 234.
2. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 232.
3. ^ "Buller By-election Delayed Till July". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29832\. 26 May 1962. p. 12.
4. ^ "Criticism of Move - Social Credit Reaction". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29832\. 26 May 1962. p. 12.
5. ^ "Court Action Suggested on By-election Delay". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29835\. 30 May 1962. p. 14.
6. ^ "Date for Buller Poll Changed - By-election Now to Be Held on July 7". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29836\. 31 May 1962. p. 10.
7. ^ "By-election in Buller - Possible Labour Nominees". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29815\. 7 May 1962. p. 12.
8. ^ "By-election in Buller - Selections Today". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29826\. 19 May 1962. p. 10.
9. ^ Henderson 1981, p. 68.
10. ^ a b "Candidates in Buller By-election Chosen". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29827\. 21 May 1962. p. 10.
11. ^ "Candidate for Buller". The New Zealand Herald. 14 May 1962. p. 3.
12. ^ "No Broadcasts By Candidates". The Press. Vol. CI, no. 29835\. 30 May 1962. p. 14.
13. ^ Norton 1988, p. 204.

## References

[edit]

* Henderson, John (1981). Rowling: The Man and the Myth. Auckland: Fraser Books. ISBN 0-908620-03-9.
* Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
* Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

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* Christchurch South, 1939
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29th Parliament|

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30th Parliament|

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31st Parliament|

* Riccarton, 1956
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32nd Parliament|

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33rd Parliament|

* Hurunui, 1961
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* Buller, 1962
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* Otahuhu, 1963
* Northern Maori, 1963
* Grey Lynn, 1963

34th Parliament|

* There were no by-elections during the term of the 34th Parliament.

35th Parliament|

* Southern Maori, 1967
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36th Parliament|

* Marlborough, 1970

37th Parliament|

* Sydenham, 1974

38th Parliament|

* Nelson, 1976
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39th Parliament|

* Christchurch Central, 1979
* Northern Maori, 1980
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40th Parliament|

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41st Parliament|

* Timaru, 1985

42nd Parliament|

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43rd Parliament|

* Tamaki, 1992
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* Selwyn, 1994

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