1953 Dunedin mayoral election
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| Turnout | 30,891 (64.20%) | |||||||||||||||
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The 1953 Dunedin mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1953, elections were held for the Mayor of Dunedin plus other local government positions including twelve city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Campaign
A major talking point in the lead up to the election was the potential of a clash with the 1953 Royal Tour.[1] There were proposals to postpone local elections until early 1954 over fears of reduced turnout due to a conflicted schedule. The proposals were considered by the Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin, who ultimately decided against it.[2]
Len Wright, the incumbent Mayor, was re-elected for a second term. He defeated a spirited challenge from Phil Connolly the sitting Labour MP for Dunedin Central, who despite losing the mayoralty was elected to the Otago Harbour Board, where he became deputy-chairman.[3] Initially the Labour Party won a 8-4 majority on the city council, however after a recount Citizens' candidate Stuart Sidey displaced Labour's James Dalziel as the lowest polling successful candidate amending the party split to 7-5.[4]
Mayoral results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' | Len Wright | 15,420 | 49.91 | −1.72 | |
| Labour | Phil Connolly | 13,365 | 43.26 | ||
| Independent | Charlie Hayward | 2,106 | 6.81 | ||
| Majority | 2,055 | 6.65 | +2.86 | ||
| Turnout | 30,891 | 64.20 | +17.38 | ||
Council results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Fred Jones | 18,745 | 60.68 | +6.92 | |
| Labour | Ethel McMillan | 18,121 | 58.66 | +7.34 | |
| Labour | Michael Connelly | 17,490 | 56.61 | +2.08 | |
| Labour | Hubert Brown | 16,550 | 53.57 | +0.39 | |
| Labour | Alister Abernethy | 15,953 | 51.64 | +1.65 | |
| Citizens' | Robert Forsyth-Barr | 15,006 | 48.57 | −3.02 | |
| Labour | Jack Stead | 14,874 | 48.14 | +1.89 | |
| Citizens' | Norman Douglas Anderson | 14,171 | 45.87 | −3.47 | |
| Citizens' | William Taverner | 14,048 | 45.47 | −4.43 | |
| Labour | Bill Fraser | 13,789 | 44.63 | +2.45 | |
| Citizens' | Robert William Botting | 13,438 | 43.50 | ||
| Citizens' | Stuart Sidey | 13,111 | 42.44 | +6.79 | |
| Labour | James Dalziel | 13,100 | 42.40 | ||
| Labour | Doug Sutherland | 12,984 | 42.03 | ||
| Citizens' | Robert Stuart Glendenning | 12,902 | 41.76 | ||
| Labour | Noel George Tohmar | 12,794 | 41.41 | ||
| Labour | William Johnstone Penfold | 12,774 | 41.35 | ||
| Citizens' | James Charles Scoular | 12,615 | 40.83 | ||
| Citizens' | Kevin John Marlow | 12,511 | 40.50 | ||
| Citizens' | Charles Jerram | 12,363 | 40.02 | ||
| Labour | Frederick Rudkin | 12,003 | 38.85 | ||
| Independent | William Stewart Armitage | 10,857 | 35.14 | −13.41 | |
| Citizens' | Albert Perry Greenfield | 10,626 | 34.39 | ||
| Independent | Charlie Hayward | 9,911 | 32.08 | −20.11 | |
| Citizens' | Eric Hugh Levido | 9,813 | 31.76 | ||
| Citizens' | Augustus Benson Pope | 7,814 | 25.29 | ||
| Communist | Edgar Wilson Hunter | 1,811 | 5.86 | +1.94 | |
Notes
- ^ "Move to Postpone Next Municipal Elections". The Evening Post. 18 October 1952.
- ^ "Local Elections Date Fixed". The Evening Post. 28 January 1953.
- ^ Jamieson 2009, p. 167-71.
- ^ a b c "A Slender Majority for Labour". Otago Daily Times. No. 28, 420. 10 November 1953. p. 1.
- ^ Jamieson 2009, p. 171.
References
- Jamieson, Rosemary (2009), In Command: Minesweeper Captain and Labour Parliamentarian (1st ed.), Wellington, [N.Z.]: Steele Roberts