1918 Taranaki by-election

The Taranaki by-election of 1918 was a by-election in the Taranaki electorate on the west coast of the North Island. It was held during the 19th New Zealand Parliament, on 10 October 1918. It was caused by the death of incumbent MP Henry Okey of the Reform Party and was won by Sydney George Smith, the son of previous Taranaki MP Edward Smith,[1] who stood as an independent Labour candidate. Smith supported the war effort unlike most Labour politicians, gaining him support of voters who likewise supported the war.[2]

1918 Taranaki by-election

10 October 1918 (1918-10-10)
Turnout	74.19%
Candidate Sydney George Smith John Connett Party Independent Labour Reform Popular vote 2,840 2,680
Member before election Henry Okey Reform Elected Member Sydney George Smith Independent Labour

Result

The following table gives the election results:

1918 Taranaki by-election[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Independent Labour	Sydney George Smith	2,840	51.44
	Reform	John Connett	2,680	48.55
Majority			160	2.89
Turnout			5,520	74.19	-12.62

Notes

1. Lambert, Ron. "Smith, Edward Metcalf". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
2. Bassett 1982, p. 23.
3. "Taranaki By-Election". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16978). 11 October 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 7 January 2016.

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)