1956 Wellington City mayoral election

The 1956 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1956, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

1956 Wellington City mayoral election
17 November 1956
Turnout38,105 (47.68%)
 
Candidate Frank Kitts Ernest Toop Robert Macalister
Party Labour Citizens' Independent
Popular vote 14,674 11,920 10,783
Percentage 38.50 31.28 28.29
Mayor before election

Robert Macalister

 Elected Mayor

Frank Kitts

Background

The 1956 mayoral election was conducted amidst a selection controversy by the right-leaning Citizens' Association. Under the impression that incumbent mayor Robert Macalister was not intending to seek a third term as Mayor, Ernest Toop applied to gain nomination as the official Citizens' candidacy. As Toop was the only applicant he was successful. However, Macalister had intended to run for mayor again and assumed he, as incumbent, would gain automatic nomination. Undeterred, Macalister ran for mayor again as an Independent which split the Citizens' vote enabling Labour's Frank Kitts to win the mayoralty.[1] Kitts became Wellington's first Labour Mayor in 46 years following David McLaren's defeat in 1913.[2]

Labour also polled more votes than the Citizens' Association for the council as well. However it won fewer seats due to a high concentration of Labour votes on several candidates with the remainder of the ticket receiving far less, compared to the Citizens' vote which was more evenly dispersed across its ticket.[3] This was compounded due to Kitts running jointly for both mayor and council. He topped the poll in the council vote, but his election was voided by virtue of winning the mayoralty which saw his council seat awarded to the highest polling unsuccessful candidate, Donald Griffin, who was on the Citizens' ticket. Initially it was to be awarded to another Labour candidate, Thomas Cameron, but after special votes had been counted Griffin has surpassed Cameron's tally.[4]

Mayoralty results
1956 Wellington mayoral election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Kitts 14,674 38.50 -6.45
Citizens' Ernest Toop 11,920 31.28
Independent Robert Macalister 10,783 28.29 -20.49
Independent Julius Hyde 728 1.91 -3.48
Majority 2,754 7.22
Turnout 38,105 47.68 -17.51

Councillor results
Toop (right) congratulating Kitts (left) on his victory.
1956 Wellington local election[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Frank Kitts[nb 1] 20,346 53.39 +1.85
Citizens' William Arcus 18,820 49.38 +3.01
Citizens' Allan Highet 18,396 48.27
Citizens' Barry Barton-Ginger 18,130 47.57 +3.10
Labour John Churchill 17,988 47.20 +3.48
Citizens' Robert Archibald 17,983 47.19 +2.34
Labour Jim Bateman 17,798 46.70 +5.15
Labour James Roberts 17,573 46.11 +2.12
Labour Mervyn Castle 17,417 45.70 +7.68
Citizens' Clive Drummond 17,332 45.48
Citizens' Berkeley Dallard 17,101 44.87 +3.25
Citizens' Harry Nankervis 16,934 44.44 +3.98
Labour Lettie Allen 16,058 42.14
Citizens' Max Wall 15,239 39.99
Labour John Arthurs 15,143 39.74 +1.27
Citizens' Donald Griffin 14,887 39.06
Labour Thomas Cameron 14,779 38.78
Labour Ethel Harris 14,614 38.35 +4.33
Citizens' John Barnett 14,592 38.29
Labour Nigel Taylor 14,505 38.06
Citizens' William Birtwhistle 14,275 37.46
Labour Jim Collins 14,233 37.35 +0.71
Citizens' Peter Howman 13,975 36.67
Labour Hugh Kelleher 13,864 36.38 +0.02
Citizens' William Simpson 13,635 35.78
Labour Allan Goldsmith 13,453 35.30
Labour Edward Hodgkinson 13,292 34.88 +1.63
Labour Alfred Elgar 12,480 32.75
Independent Gilbert MacLean 12,228 32.09 -2.41
Citizens' William Morgan 12,153 31.89
Citizens' Mark Kennington 11,995 31.47
Independent William Bacon 8,399 22.04 -3.59
Independent Leslie Austin 7,196 18.88 +4.09
Independent William Rea 3,871 10.15
Independent Charles Lethaby 3,508 9.20
Communist William Hunter 3,365 8.83 +4.45
Communist Albert Birchfield 2,465 6.46

Table footnotes:

  1. As Kitts won the Mayoralty his election to the council was voided and his seat was awarded to the highest polling unsuccessful candidate.

Notes
  1. Betts 1970, pp. 157.
  2. Taylor, Kerry. "McLaren, David - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. Betts 1970, pp. 146.
  4. "Labour Man Out on Final Count - Citizens' Majority on City Council". The Evening Post. 30 November 1956.
  5. James, T.W. (25 November 1956). Declaration of Election Results (Report). Wellington City Council.
  6. "Recount Puts Citizens' In Control". The Dominion. 1 December 1956.

References
  • Betts, G.M. (1970). Betts on Wellington: A City and its Politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN 0 589 00469 7.
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