1911 New Zealand general election

The New Zealand general election of 1911 was held on Thursday, 7 and 14 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 18th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 590,042 (83.5%) voters turned out to vote.[2] In two seats (Eastern Maori and Gisborne)[3] there was only one candidate (not one seat, as in Wilson [4]).

1911 general election

7 to 19 December 1911
All 80 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives 41 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	83.5%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Joseph Ward William Massey Alfred Hindmarsh Party Liberal Reform Labour Leader since 6 August 1906 11 February 1909 July 1910 Leader's seat Awarua Franklin Wellington South Last election 50 seats New 1 seat Seats won 33[1] 37[1] 4[1] Seat change 17 37 3 Popular vote 163,401 161,773 35,869 Percentage 34.23% 33.37% 7.51% Swing 14.4% 33.37% 2.62%
Prime Minister before election Joseph Ward Liberal Prime Minister-elect Joseph Ward Liberal

Outcome

The result was that the Liberal Party, which had won a majority of seats (50 of 80) in Parliament, lost 17 seats and its majority, winning only 33. The Reform Party gained 9 to obtain a plurality (37) of seats.[5] Liberal Prime Minister Joseph Ward was able to retain office, but in 1912, Reform Party founder William Massey formed a new government.[6]

Joseph Ward hoped to remain in power with the support of independents and Labour Party members. Several candidates before the election made commitments to support the Ward Government in the event of a no-confidence motion in the House of Representatives. Ward considered delaying a new session of the house, perhaps for six months until June 1912, but following some tough talking from the Governor-General John Dickson-Poynder, he set the date as 15 February.[7] To speed up the negotiating process, Ward promised to resign as Prime Minister after the Reform Party's no-confidence motion was defeated. The end result was even at 39 all, with the Speaker casting the deciding vote in favour of the Ward Government. Joseph Ward then resigned as Prime Minister on 28 March 1912. He was succeeded by Thomas Mackenzie and his new Cabinet was sworn in. The Mackenzie Government lasted only two months and was defeated by a no-confidence motion, 41 votes to 33 on 5 July 1912.[6]

The Second Ballot Act 1908 provided for second or runoff ballots between the top two candidates where the top candidate did not get an absolute majority. The second ballot was held seven days after the first ballot except in ten large rural seats, where fourteen days was allowed. At the 1911 election, all 30 second ballots were held seven days later. Two 1913 by-elections (Grey and Lyttelton) also required second ballots.

The Second Ballot Act did not apply to the Maori electorates, and was used only in 1908 and 1911, as it was repealed in 1913.

In 1911 were the first triennial national referendum on prohibition of alcohol. Referendums were subsequently held in conjunction with each general election (except for 1931 and 1951) until they were abolished in 1989.

Summary of results

Party totals

Election results
Party		Candidates	Total votes	Percentage	Seats won
	Reform	64	159,309	33.37	37
	Liberal	89	163,401	34.23	33
	Labour	20	35,869	7.51	4
	Socialist	8	9,091	1.90	0
	Independent	59	109,666	22.97	6
		240	477,336		80

Votes summary

Popular Vote Liberal   34.23% Reform   33.37% Labour   7.51% Socialist   1.90% Independents   22.97%

Parliament seats Reform   46.25% Liberal   41.25% Labour   5.00% Independents   7.50%

Results

The following are the results of the 1911 general election:

Key

Reform	Liberal	Labour	Independent Liberal	Independent Labour
Socialist	Liberal–Labour	Independent	Affiliation unknown

Electorate results for the 1911 New Zealand general election[8]

Electorate	Incumbent		Winner		Majority	Runner up
General electorates[nb 1]
Ashburton		William Nosworthy			913†		John Kennedy
Auckland Central		Albert Glover			2,261		Michael Joseph Savage
Auckland East		Arthur Myers			1,993		Arthur Withy
Auckland West		Charles Poole		James Bradney	1,577		Charles Poole
Avon		George Warren Russell			271†		James McCombs
Awarua		Joseph Ward			628		John Hamilton
Bay of Islands		Vernon Reed			183		George Wilkinson[9]
Bay of Plenty		William MacDonald			535		Harry De Lautour
Bruce		James Allen			675		Parker McKinlay
Buller		James Colvin			150		Fergus Ferguson Munro
Chalmers		Edward Henry Clark			326†		John Thomas Johnson
Christchurch East		Thomas Davey			1181†		Henry Thacker
Christchurch North		Leonard Isitt			749†		John Hall
Christchurch South		Harry Ell			631		Gains Whiting
Clutha		Alexander Malcolm			375		George Livingstone[10]
Dunedin Central		James Frederick Arnold		Charles Statham	1544		James Frederick Arnold
Dunedin North		George Thomson			759†		Robert Douglas
Dunedin South		Thomas Sidey			745		John McManus
Dunedin West		John A. Millar			639†		Harry Bedford
Eden		John Bollard			663		William Speight
Egmont		Bradshaw Dive		Thomas Mackenzie	327		Bradshaw Dive
Ellesmere		Heaton Rhodes			1581		George Armstrong
Franklin		William Massey			1963		John McLarin[11]
Gisborne		James Carroll			Uncontested
Grey		Arthur Guinness			1138		Paddy Webb
Grey Lynn		George Fowlds		John Payne	38†		George Fowlds
Hawke's Bay		Alfred Dillon		Hugh Campbell	1107†		Horace Simson
Hurunui		George Forbes			939		David Macfarlane
Hutt		Thomas Wilford			1931		Michael Reardon
Invercargill		Josiah Hanan			667†		Thomas Fleming
Kaiapoi		David Buddo			209†		Richard Moore
Kaipara		John Stallworthy		Gordon Coates	572†		John Stallworthy
Lyttelton		George Laurenson			2079		Colin Cook
Manukau		Frederic Lang			2307		Ralph Stewart
Marsden		Francis Mander			544		Edmund Purdie
Masterton		Alexander Hogg		George Sykes	581†		Alexander Hogg
Mataura		George Anderson			857		John MacGibbon
Motueka		Roderick McKenzie			1104		Frederick Smith
Napier		Vigor Brown			1064		Henry Hill[12]
Nelson		John Graham		Harry Atmore	1516†		Walter Moffatt
Oamaru		Thomas Young Duncan		Ernest Lee	1364		Thomas Young Duncan
Ohinemuri		Hugh Poland			1207†		Pat Hickey
Oroua		David Guthrie			1092		Robert Hornblow
Otago Central	New electorate			Robert Scott	1810		William Mason
Otaki		William Hughes Field		John Robertson	21†		William Hughes Field
Pahiatua		Robert Ross		James Escott	573†		Robert Ross
Palmerston		David Buick			832		Robert McNab
Parnell		Frank Lawry		James Samuel Dickson	438†		John Findlay
Patea		George Pearce			960		Patrick O'Dea
Raglan	New electorate			Richard Bollard	919†		Allen Bell
Rangitikei		Robert William Smith		Edward Newman	1028		William Meldrum
Riccarton		George Witty			1373†		Charles Ensor
Selwyn		Charles Hardy		William Dickie	271		Charles Hardy
Stratford		John Hine			730		Joseph McCluggage
Taranaki		Henry Okey			754		Charles Bellringer
Taumarunui		William Thomas Jennings		Charles Wilson	125		William Thomas Jennings
Tauranga		William Herries			1941		Robert King
Temuka	New electorate			Thomas Buxton	1372		William Jeffries
Thames		Edmund Taylor		Thomas William Rhodes	66		Edmund Taylor
Timaru		James Craigie			1226		Joseph Moore
Waikato		Henry Greenslade		Alexander Young	1128		Henry Greenslade
Waimarino	New electorate			Robert William Smith	480†		Frank Hockly
Waipawa		Charles Hall		George Hunter	569		Albert Jull
Wairarapa		Walter Clarke Buchanan			125		J. T. Marryat Hornsby
Wairau		John Duncan		Richard McCallum	142†		John Duncan
Waitaki		William Steward		Francis Henry Smith	84†		John Macpherson
Waitemata		Leonard Phillips		James Samuel Dickson	407†		William Joseph Napier
Wakatipu		William Fraser			91		James Horn
Wallace		John Charles Thomson			1962		Alan Carmichael
Wanganui		James Thomas Hogan		Bill Veitch	1156†		James Thomas Hogan
Wellington East		David McLaren		Alfred Newman	65†		David McLaren
Wellington Central		Francis Fisher			131†		Robert Fletcher
Wellington North		Alexander Herdman			1807		Arnold Woolford Izard
Wellington South		Robert Wright		Alfred Hindmarsh	254†		Robert Wright
Wellington Suburbs and Country		John Luke		William Henry Dillon Bell	399		Frank Moore
Westland		Tom Seddon			271		Henry Michel
Māori electorates[nb 2]
Eastern Maori		Āpirana Ngata			Uncontested
Northern Maori		Te Rangi Hīroa			405		Riapo Timoti Puhipi
Southern Maori		Tame Parata		Taare Parata	31		Hopere Uru
Western Maori		Henare Kaihau		Māui Pōmare	565		Henare Kaihau

Table footnotes:

1. † in Majority column depicts electorates in which a second ballot was held.
2. The affiliation of many of the Maori candidates is unknown or uncertain; note that the Second Ballot Act 1908 did not apply to Maori constituencies.

Summary of changes

A boundary redistribution resulted in the abolition of four electorates:[13]

• Geraldine, held by Thomas Buxton
• Manawatu, held by Edward Newman
• Taieri, held by Thomas Mackenzie
• Tuapeka, held by Robert Scott
• Wellington Suburbs, held by John Luke

At the same time, four new electorates came into being:[14][15]

• Otago Central, first formed through the 1911 electoral redistribution
• Raglan, previously abolished in 1870
• Temuka, first formed through the 1911 electoral redistribution
• Waimarino, first formed through the 1911 electoral redistribution
• Wellington Suburbs and Country, first formed through the 1911 electoral redistribution

Notes

1. Bassett 1982, p. 5.
2. "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
3. Bassett 1982, p. 66.
4. Wilson 1985, p. 286.
5. "General elections 1890-1993 - seats won by party" Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, Elections.org
6. Bassett 1982, p. 3-14.
7. Bassett 1982, p. 5-6.
8. "The General Election, 1911". National Library. 1912. pp. 1–14. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
9. "Political Gossip". The Marlborough Express. C (266). 16 November 1914. p. 3. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
10. "Clutha". Otago Witness (3008). 8 November 1911. p. 37. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
11. "Electoral district of Franklin: nominations". Auckland Star. XLII (290). 6 December 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
12. Matthews, Kay Morris. "Henry Hill". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
13. McRobie 1989, pp. 71–76.
14. McRobie 1989, pp. 75f.
15. Wilson 1985, pp. 269–273.

References

• Bassett, Michael (1982). Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911–1931. Auckland: Historical Publications. ISBN 0-86870-006-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)