1944 Wellington City mayoral election
27 May 1944
Turnout50,841 (58.87%)
 
Candidate Will Appleton James Roberts
Party Citizens' Labour
Popular vote 29,899 20,323
Percentage 58.80 39.99
Mayor before election

Thomas Hislop

 Elected Mayor

Will Appleton

The 1944 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1944, election 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.

The incumbent Mayor, Thomas Hislop did not stand for another term. Instead, Will Appleton stood as the candidate for the Citizens' Association. Trade unionist James Roberts who was the President of the Labour Party was his Party's candidate.

Background

Citizens'

Three members of the Citizens' Association were nominated for the mayoralty:[1]

Despite the open challenge to him Hislop (who had been mayor for 13 years) was again selected by a ballot of the Citizens' Electoral Committee. Appleton said he would stand for mayor as an independent despite not being granted the Citizens' nomination in pursuance of a promise he gave to a deputation of over 100 people who implored him to stand. This caused concern for the Citizens' Association of vote splitting and a repeat of the 1912 election where competing centre-right candidates allowed a Labour mayor to be elected. Declining arbitration, Appleton got his wish after discussions when Hislop (albeit reluctantly) agreed to stand aside in the interests of unity.[2]

Labour

The Labour Party had five people nominated for the mayoralty:[3]

McKeen and later Combs declined nomination and withdrew from the process. At a selection meeting 87 delegates, representing approximately 30,000 members, selected Roberts ahead of Butler and Chapman in an exhaustive ballot.[4] The Communist Party did not contest the mayoralty and decided to endorse Roberts stating the party supported the election of a Labour mayor.[5]

Mayoralty results

1944 Wellington mayoral election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' Will Appleton 29,899 58.80
Labour James Roberts 20,323 39.99
Informal votes 619 1.21 +0.38
Majority 9,576 18.83
Turnout 50,841 58.87 +7.36

Councillor results

1944 Wellington City Council election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' Elizabeth Gilmer 29,785 59.36 +0.20
Citizens' Robert Wright 29,413 58.62 -3.86
Citizens' Malcolm Fraser 28,998 57.79 -0.92
Citizens' William Gaudin 27,816 55.44 -2.11
Citizens' Martin Luckie 27,757 55.32 -2.93
Citizens' Robert Macalister 27,120 54.05 -1.23
Citizens' Frederick Furkert 27,068 53.94 +0.46
Citizens' Bryan Todd 26,609 53.03 -1.35
Citizens' Malcolm Galloway 26,578 52.97
Citizens' George Amos 26,101 52.02
Citizens' Ernest Toop 25,441 50.70
Citizens' Len Jacobsen 25,101 50.02
Citizens' Sandy Pope 25,046 49.91
Citizens' William Stevens 24,192 48.21 -0.10
Citizens' James Sievwright 23,823 47.48 -0.91
Labour Charles Chapman 20,857 41.57 +3.62
Labour John Churchill 19,320 38.50
Labour Roy Holland 19,224 38.31 +6.90
Labour Tom Brindle 18,594 37.05 +2.46
Labour Lettie Allen 18,102 36.07
Labour John Fleming 18,023 35.92 +7.62
Labour Andrew Parlane 17,627 35.13 +4.21
Labour Jack Arthurs 17,186 34.25
Labour Reg Stillwell 16,890 33.66
Labour Percival Hansen 16,779 33.44 +7.26
Labour Toby Hill 16,701 33.28
Labour Caryll Hay 16,381 32.64
Labour Catherine Stewart 16,243 32.37 +0.45
Labour Ethel Harris 16,191 32.27
Labour George Mathew 14,430 28.76
Communist Harold Silverstone 9,765 19.46
Independent Amy Kane 9,583 19.09
Independent Arthur Carman 5,543 11.04 +3.86
Independent John Parry 4,785 9.53

Notes

  1. ↑ "Wellington Mayoralty - Mr Hislop Secures Citizens' Nomination". Otago Daily Times. No. 25449. 2 February 1944. p. 4.
  2. ↑ Betts 1970, p. 180.
  3. ↑ "The Mayoralty - Labour Ticket". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXVII, no. 36. 12 February 1944. p. 6.
  4. ↑ "The Mayoralty - Labour Candidate". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXVII, no. 52. 2 March 1944. p. 6.
  5. ↑ "Civic Elections - Communist Policy". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXVII, no. 100. 29 April 1944. p. 8.
  6. ↑ "City Elections". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXVII, no. 134. 8 June 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "The City Council". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXII, no. 125. 29 May 1944. p. 7. Retrieved 29 October 2016.

References

  • Betts, George (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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