37th New Zealand Parliament

Term of the Parliament of New Zealand

37th Parliament of New Zealand

| <-| 36th Parliament | 38th Parliament| ->

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Parliament House, Wellington

Overview
Legislative body| New Zealand Parliament
Term| 14 February 1973 – 10 October 1975
Election| 1972 New Zealand general election
Government| Third Labour Government
House of Representatives

Members| 87
Speaker of the House| Stanley Whitehead
Prime Minister| Bill Rowling
— Hugh Watt (acting) until 6 September 1974
— Norman Kirk until 31 August 1974 †
Leader of the Opposition| Robert Muldoon
— Jack Marshall until 9 July 1974
Sovereign
Monarch| Elizabeth II
Governor-General| Denis Blundell

The 37th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1972 general election on 25 November of that year.

## 1972 general election[edit]

Main article: 1972 New Zealand general election

The 1972 general election was held on Saturday, 25 November.[1] A total of 87 MPs were elected; 58 represented North Island electorates, 25 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates; this was an increase in the number of MPs by three since the 1969 election, and the gain was all for the North Island.[2] 1,583,256 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 89.1%.[1]

## Sessions[edit]

The 37th Parliament sat for three sessions, and was prorogued on 10 October 1975.[3]

Session | Opened | Adjourned

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first | 14 February 1973 | 23 November 1973
second | 4 February 1974 | 8 November 1974
third | 25 March 1975 | 10 October 1975

## Ministries[edit]

The National Party, which had come to power at the 1960 election, was defeated by the Labour Party at the 1972 election. Norman Kirk formed the third Labour Government and led the Kirk Ministry until his sudden death on 31 August 1974. After Hugh Watt had been acting Prime Minister for the first few days of September 1974, Kirk was succeeded by Bill Rowling on 6 September. The Rowling Ministry lasted until the end of the parliamentary term, when the Labour Government was defeated by National in the 1975 election.[4]

## Overview of seats[edit]

The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 1972 election and at dissolution:

Affiliation  | Members

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At 1972 election | At dissolution
| Labour Government | 55  | 55
| National Opposition | 32  | 32
Total
| 87  | 87
Working Government majority | 23  | 23

Notes

* The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.

## Initial composition of the 37th Parliament[edit]

The table below shows the results of the 1972 general election:

Key

National Labour Social Credit Independent

Electorate results for the 1972 New Zealand general election  Electorate  | Incumbent  | Winner  | Majority  | Runner up

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General electorates
Auckland Central |  | Norman Douglas | 2,009  |  | Clive Edwards
Avon |  | John Mathison |  | Mary Batchelor | 6,055  |  | Gordon Thomas
Awarua |  | Hugh Templeton |  | Aubrey Begg | 723  |  | Hugh Templeton
Bay of Plenty |  | Percy Allen | 2,189  |  | G B Mead
Birkenhead |  | Norman King | 1,533  |  | Don McKinnon
Christchurch Central |  | Bruce Barclay | 5,103  |  | Barbara Beaven
Clutha |  | Peter Gordon | 2,131  |  | Les McKay[5]
Coromandel | New electorate  |  | Leo Schultz | 2,181  |  | Alyson Murphy
Dunedin Central |  | Brian MacDonell | 3,771  |  | Fred O'Neill[6]
Dunedin North |  | Ethel McMillan | 4,020  |  | John Wallis[7]
East Coast Bays | New electorate  |  | Frank Gill | 979  |  | Brian Pauling
Eden |  | John Rae |  | Mike Moore | 788  |  | Mary Kidd[8]
Egmont |  | Venn Young | 2,928  |  | Robert Logan Peck
Franklin |  | Alfred E. Allen |  | Bill Birch | 4,188  |  | Geoff Braybrooke
Gisborne |  | Esme Tombleson |  | Trevor Davey | 488  |  | Esme Tombleson[9]
Grey Lynn |  | Eddie Isbey | 5,487  |  | Jens Meder
Hamilton East | New electorate  |  | Rufus Rogers | 397  |  | Ross Jansen
Hamilton West |  | Leslie Munro |  | Dorothy Jelicich | 544  |  | Derek Heather
Hastings |  | Duncan MacIntyre |  | Richard Mayson | 1,148  |  | Duncan MacIntyre
Hawkes Bay |  | Richard Harrison | 600  |  | David Butcher [10]
Henderson |  | Martyn Finlay | 4,221  |  | Ross C. MacFarlane[11]
Heretaunga |  | Ron Bailey | 2,964  |  | John Schnellenberg[12]
Hobson |  | Logan Sloane | 1,148  |  | Howard Manning
Hutt |  | Trevor Young | 3,397  |  | Michael Fowler
Invercargill |  | John Chewings |  | J. B. Munro | 765  |  | John Chewings
Island Bay |  | Gerald O'Brien | 3,495  |  | Bruce Farland
Kapiti | New electorate  |  | Frank O'Flynn | 706  |  | Barry Brill
Karori |  | Jack Marshall | 4,408  |  | Adam Floyd
King Country | New electorate  |  | Jim Bolger | 1,240  |  | Brent Clifton Sakey
Lyttelton |  | Tom McGuigan | 3,235  |  | John Blumsky
Manawatu |  | Les Gandar |  | Allan McCready | 427  |  | Mervyn Hancock
Mangere |  | Colin Moyle | 3,939  |  | Stanley Lawson
Manukau |  | Roger Douglas | 2,844  |  | R O Price
Manurewa |  | Phil Amos | 2,397  |  | Pat Baker[13]
Marlborough |  | Ian Brooks | 1,290  |  | Bruno Dalliessi
Miramar |  | Bill Young | 434  |  | Brian Edwards
Mt Albert |  | Warren Freer | 3,980  |  | John Malcolm
Napier |  | Gordon Christie | 3,725  |  | Merle Bell
Nelson |  | Stan Whitehead | 1,933  |  | Ian McWhannell
New Lynn |  | Jonathan Hunt | 4,312  |  | Gordon McDermott
New Plymouth |  | Ron Barclay | 1,296  |  | Terry Boon
North Shore |  | George Gair | 2,821  |  | Colin Chiles
Oamaru |  | Allan Dick |  | Bill Laney | 390  |  | Allan Dick
Onehunga |  | Hugh Watt | 4,835  |  | Peter Blakeborough
Otago Central |  | Murray Rose |  | Ian Quigley | 1,483  |  | Murray Rose
Otahuhu | New electorate  |  | Bob Tizard | 6,403  |  | D C Brooker
Pahiatua |  | Keith Holyoake | 4,359  |  | L J Cairns
Pakuranga |  | Bob Tizard |  | Gavin Downie | 1,802  |  | J B Irwin
Palmerston North |  | Joe Walding | 1,766  |  | Paul William Mitchell
Papanui |  | Bert Walker | 1,734  |  | Mollie Clark
Petone |  | Fraser Colman | 5,340  |  | Nick Ursin
Piako |  | Jack Luxton | 4,472  |  | I L Howell
Porirua |  | Gerry Wall | 4,399  |  | Ross Doughty
Raglan |  | Douglas Carter | 1,350  |  | Allan John Smith
Rakaia | New electorate  |  | Colin McLachlan | 2,133  |  | Alex Clark
Rangiora |  | Lorrie Pickering |  | Kerry Burke | 866  |  | Adrian Hiatt
Rangitikei |  | Norman Shelton |  | Roy Jack | 3,037  |  | N R Pearce [nb 1]
Remuera |  | Allan Highet | 6,118  |  | Rex Stanton
Riccarton |  | Eric Holland | 2,164  |  | David Jackson
Rodney |  | Peter Wilkinson | 4,507  |  | Peter Trim
Roskill |  | Arthur Faulkner | 4,439  |  | John Priestley[14]
Rotorua |  | Harry Lapwood | 786  |  | N F Pachoud
Ruahine | New electorate  |  | Les Gandar | 552  |  | Sam Mihaere
St Albans |  | Roger Drayton | 3,066  |  | Ron Doak
St Kilda |  | Bill Fraser | 5,615  |  | Charles Kirby
South Canterbury |  | Rob Talbot | 2,035  |  | David Braithwaite
Stratford |  | David Thomson | 3,068  |  | D G Turney
Sydenham |  | Norman Kirk | 6,986  |  | John Burn
Tamaki |  | Robert Muldoon | 4,590  |  | Alan Hedger
Tasman | New electorate  |  | Bill Rowling | 1,834  |  | Gerald Hunt
Taupo |  | Rona Stevenson |  | Jack Ridley | 783  |  | James Frederick Higgins
Tauranga |  | George Walsh |  | Keith Allen | 2,215  |  | Henry Uttinger[15]
Timaru |  | Sir Basil Arthur | 3,954  |  | Dave Walker
Waikato |  | Lance Adams-Schneider | 4,208  |  | Bob Reese
Wairarapa |  | Jack Williams | 1,086  |  | Ben Couch
Waitemata |  | Frank Gill |  | Michael Bassett | 2,544  |  | Ray La Varis
Wallace |  | Brian Talboys | 2,904  |  | Ian Lamont
Wanganui |  | Bill Tolhurst |  | Russell Marshall | 2,879  |  | Bill Tolhurst
Wellington Central |  | Dan Riddiford |  | Ken Comber | 27  |  | David Shand [nb 2]
West Coast | New electorate  |  | Paddy Blanchfield | 4,242  |  | Barry Dallas
Western Hutt |  | Henry May | 2,392  |  | Julian Watts [nb 3][16]
Whangarei | New electorate  |  | Murray Smith | 1,180  |  | Lawrence Carr
Wigram |  | Mick Connelly | 5,255  |  | David Cox
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori |  | Paraone Reweti | 6,190  |  | Koro Dewes
Northern Maori |  | Matiu Rata | 5,260  |  | Graham Latimer
Southern Maori |  | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | 8,251  |  | Kate Parahi
Western Maori |  | Koro Wētere | 8,686  |  | R Te A H Rawiri

Table footnotes:

1. ^ Bruce Beetham came third for Social Credit in Rangitikei
2. ^ Shand was first on election night, but lost when special votes were included
3. ^ Julian Watts was a son of Jack Watts

## Select committees[edit]

For the 37th Parliament, elected from the 1972 general election, there were the following select committees in the House of Representatives, as follows (Ministers of relevant portfolios are in bold):[17]

Select committees in the 37th New Zealand Parliament  Select committee  | Portfolios/Jurisdictions  | Members

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Defence
Military affairs, defence matters, disarmament and arms control
| Aubrey Begg
| Arthur Faulkner
| Richard Harrison
| Allan McCready
| Ian Quigley
| David Thomson
| Jack Williams
Education
Education, education review, industry training, research
| Phil Amos
| Jim Bolger
| Ian Brooks
| George Gair
| Les Gandar
| Bill Laney
| Russell Marshall
Foreign Affairs
International relations, immigration, overseas trade
| Ron Bailey
| Roger Drayton
| Arthur Faulkner
| Frank Gill
| Sir Keith Holyoake
| Norman Kirk
| Harry Lapwood
| Allan McCready
| Mike Moore
| Joe Walding
| Peter Wilkinson
House
| Ron Bailey
| Roger Douglas
| Richard Harrison
| Jonathan Hunt
| Colin McLachlan
| J. B. Munro
| Bert Walker
Island Affairs
Pacific Islands affairs
| Phil Amos
| Gavin Downie
| Eddie Isbey
| Leo Schultz
| Gerry Wall
| Venn Young
| Koro Wētere
Labour
Industrial relations and employment
| Norman Douglas
| Eric Holland
| Eddie Isbey
| Dorothy Jelicich
| Jack Luxton
| Frank O'Flynn
| Paraone Reweti
| David Thomson
| Bill Young
| Hugh Watt
Lands and Agriculture
Agriculture, biosecurity, fisheries, forestry, lands, and land information
| Bruce Barclay
| Aubrey Begg
| Jim Bolger
| Ian Brooks
| Kerry Burke
| Douglas Carter
| Colin Moyle
| Rob Talbot
| Jack Williams
| Venn Young
Library
Parliamentary library
| Lance Adams-Schneider
| Keith Allen
| Kerry Burke
| Norman Douglas
| Sir Roy Jack
| Ethel McMillan
| Stanley Whitehead
Local Bills
| Keith Allen
| Ron Barclay
| Mary Batchelor
| Allan Highet
| Bill Laney
| Colin McLachlan
| Ethel McMillan
| Henry May
| Mike Moore
| Gerald O'Brien
| Logan Sloane
Māori Affairs
Māori affairs
| Percy Allen
| Bill Birch
| Jack Luxton
| Russell Marshall
| Allan McCready
| Matiu Rata
| Paraone Reweti
| Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan
| Leo Schultz
| Gerry Wall
| Koro Wētere
Petitions
Public submissions
| Bill Birch
| Kerry Burke
| Gordon Christie
| Ken Comber
| Bill Fraser
| Richard Mayson
| Bert Walker
Privileges
Parliamentary privilege
| Martyn Finlay
| Norman Kirk
| Jack Marshall
| Robert Muldoon
| Hugh Watt
Public expenditure
Finance, revenue, taxation, audit
| Roger Drayton
| George Gair
| Frank Gill
| Peter Gordon
| Jonathan Hunt
| Brian MacDonell
| Robert Muldoon
| Jack Ridley
| Bill Rowling
| Murray Smith
Road safety
| Percy Allen
| Sir Basil Arthur
| Ron Bailey
| Ron Barclay
| Douglas Carter
| Trevor Davey
| Les Gandar
| Peter Gordon
| Richard Mayson
| Ian Quigley
Selection
| Ron Bailey
| Norman Kirk
| Jack Marshall
| Robert Muldoon
| Hugh Watt
Statutes Revision
| Michael Bassett
| Martyn Finlay
| Eric Holland
| Sir Roy Jack
| J. B. Munro
| Frank O'Flynn
| Rufus Rogers
| Rob Talbot
| Peter Wilkinson
| Trevor Young
Trade and Industry
| Paddy Blanchfield
| Ken Comber
| Trevor Davey
| Warren Freer
| Brian MacDonell
| Brian Talboys
| Bill Young

## By-elections during 37th Parliament[edit]

There was one by-election held during the term of the 37th Parliament.

Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner

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Sydenham | 1974 | 2 November  |  | Norman Kirk | Death  |  | John Kirk

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b "General elections 1853–2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
2. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 173.
3. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 142.
4. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 89–94.
5. ^ Norton 1988, p. 210.
6. ^ Norton 1988, p. 213.
7. ^ Norton 1988, p. 215.
8. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 371.
9. ^ Norton 1988, p. 229.
10. ^ Norton 1988, p. 241.
11. ^ Norton 1988, p. 243.
12. ^ "From war refugee to liberal thinker, businessman and books man". Stuff.co.nz. 4 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
13. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 354.
14. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 382.
15. ^ Norton 1988, p. 360.
16. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 388.
17. ^ Parliamentary Debates. Vol. 382\. Wellington: A. R. Shearer, Government Printer. 1973. pp. 11–12.

## References[edit]

* 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.
* Templeton, Ian; Eunson, Keith (1972). In the Balance: Election '72. Dunedin: John McIndoe.
* Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.