1965 Wellington City mayoral election
{{short description|New Zealand mayoral election}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1965 Wellington City mayoral election
| country = New Zealand
| flag_image = Wellington Coat Of Arms.svg
| type = Presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1962 Wellington City mayoral election
| previous_year = 1962
| next_election = 1968 Wellington City mayoral election
| next_year = 1968
| election_date = 9 October 1965
| turnout = 30,962 (47.6%)
| image1 = 150x150px
| candidate1 = Frank Kitts
| party1 = New Zealand Labour Party
| popular_vote1 = 17,783
| percentage1 = 57.43
| image2 = 150x150px
| candidate2 = Matt Benney
| party2 = Wellington Citizens' Association
| popular_vote2 = 11,966
| percentage2 = 38.64
| title = Mayor
| before_election = Frank Kitts
| before_party = New Zealand Labour Party
| after_election = Frank Kitts
| after_party = New Zealand Labour Party
}}
The 1965 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1965, 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.
Background
There was a rift within the Citizens' Association over their selected candidate for the mayoralty, Matt Benney. Benney was a first term councillor and formerly a reputable civil servant, serving as Under-secretary for Mines from 1940 until he retired in 1959. Benney was chosen as the Citizens' nominee for the mayoralty by the association's executive, but he withdrew his nomination after it became clear that a sizeable majority of sitting Citizens' councillors instead favoured deputy-mayor Denis McGrath.{{cite news |work=The Dominion |title=Another rift seen in Citizens' ranks |date=4 June 1965 }} After Benney's declination, councillor Noel Manthel was then proposed as a compromise candidate, but he declined backing McGrath instead. However McGrath declined to stand for mayor and offered himself only for the council.{{sfn|Betts|1970|p=186}} As the deadline for nominations neared a deputation of over 50 businessmen and Citizens' candidates asked Benney to again accept both the nomination and deputy-mayoralty, to which he agreed.{{cite news |work=The Evening Post |title=Cr. C. H. Benney is Citizens' Mayoral Choice |date=30 August 1965 }}
Kitts attracted criticism for insisting on standing for the council as well as the mayoralty. He had done so in the previous five elections (winning the mayoralty in the last three) but with both his large majority in the previous election combined with the frictions within the Citizens' Association, Kitts was expected to win the mayoralty comfortably. Labour supporters thought he should make way for another candidate on the council ticket and reduce the number of wasted votes that would be caused on an inevitable dual election.{{cite news |work=Sunday News |title=Supporters angry at mayor's stand |date=1 August 1965 }} The Labour Party duly won more votes than the Citizens' Association for the council, including over 18,000 for Kitts, though this only translated into one extra council seat, still leaving the council with a Citizens' majority.{{sfn|Betts|1970|p=146}}
Mayoralty results
{{Election box begin | title=1965 Wellington mayoral election{{cite report |last=Petersen |first=G.A. |date=23 October 1965 |title=Declaration of Election Results |publisher=Wellington City Council }}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = Frank Kitts
|votes = 17,783
|percentage = 57.43
|change = -3.75
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Matt Benney
|votes = 11,966
|percentage = 38.64
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Saul Goldsmith
|votes = 1,031
|percentage = 3.32
|change = –4.11
}}
{{Election box informal
|votes = 182
|percentage = 0.58
|change = –0.07
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 5,817
|percentage = 18.78
|change = –9.53
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 30,962
|percentage = 47.6
|change = +1.2
}}
{{Election box end}}
Councillor results
{{Election box begin | title=1965 Wellington City Council election
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = Frank Kitts{{refn|group=nb|As Kitts won the Mayoralty his election to the council was voided and his seat was awarded to the highest polling unsuccessful candidate.}}
|votes = 18,059
|percentage = 58.32
|change = +3.33
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = Rolland O'Regan
|votes = 16,729
|percentage = 54.03
|change =
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Matt Benney
|votes = 16,606
|percentage = 53.63
|change = +13.60
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = John Jeffries
|votes = 15,678
|percentage = 50.63
|change = +12.33
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = Olive Smuts-Kennedy
|votes = 15,294
|percentage = 49.39
|change =
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Maida Clark
|votes = 14,914
|percentage = 48.16
|change = +4.06
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Bob Archibald
|votes = 14,332
|percentage = 46.28
|change = +0.06
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Alice Campbell
|votes = 14,013
|percentage = 45.25
|change = +1.24
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Denis McGrath
|votes = 13,991
|percentage = 45.18
|change = +1.36
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Stewart Duff
|votes = 13,451
|percentage = 43.44
|change = –0.44
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = George Porter
|votes = 12,767
|percentage = 41.23
|change = +3.10
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = John Turk
|votes = 12,376
|percentage = 39.97
|change = +0.20
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = Gordon Morrison
|votes = 12,305
|percentage = 39.74
|change = +2.09
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = Gerald O'Brien
|votes = 12,257
|percentage = 39.58
|change = +6.10
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Wellington Citizens' Association
|candidate = William Scollay
|votes = 12,095
|percentage = 39.06
|change =
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = New Zealand Labour Party
|candidate = Keith Spry
|votes = 11,962
|percentage = 38.63
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Peter Butler|votes=11,939|percentage=38.56|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Willis Livingstone Combs|votes=11,458|percentage=37.00|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Percival Hansen|votes=11,368|percentage=36.71|change=+6.55}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Wellington Citizens' Association|candidate=Terry Dunleavy|votes=11,202|percentage=36.17|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Wellington Citizens' Association|candidate=Roy Parsons|votes=10,861|percentage=35.07|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Wellington Citizens' Association|candidate=Shirley Rowe|votes=10,358|percentage=33.45|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Edward Hill |votes=10,305|percentage=33.28|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Gwendrith Elsie Haine|votes=10,209|percentage=32.97|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=William Rose|votes=10,050|percentage=32.45|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Wellington Citizens' Association|candidate=William Haydon|votes=10,026|percentage=32.38|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Charles Troughton|votes=9,761|percentage=31.52|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Roland Howell|votes=9,677|percentage=31.25|change=+3.58}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=New Zealand Labour Party|candidate=Alexander Schiff|votes=9,399|percentage=30.35|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Wellington Citizens' Association|candidate=Oscar Bergh|votes=8,700|percentage=28.09|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent politician|candidate=Max Wall|votes=5,585|percentage=18.03|change=}}
{{Election box candidate
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Saul Goldsmith
|votes = 4,548
|percentage = 14.68
|change = –10.26
}}
{{Election box candidate
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Frank Tickner
|votes = 3,885
|percentage = 12.54
|change = –6.28
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Harold Fownes
|votes = 2,802
|percentage = 9.04
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Ron Brierley
|votes = 2,791
|percentage = 9.01
|change = –2.84
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Nancy Horrocks
|votes = 2,710
|percentage = 8.75
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Peter Madden
|votes = 2,691
|percentage = 8.69
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Alice Coe
|votes = 2,625
|percentage = 8.47
|change = –2.09
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Lindsay Buick-Constable
|votes = 2,557
|percentage = 8.25
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Oliver Goldsmith
|votes = 2,421
|percentage = 7.81
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Nancy La Coste
|votes = 2,323
|percentage = 7.50
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Barry Michael
|votes = 2,014
|percentage = 6.50
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Carlyle Edwards
|votes = 2,012
|percentage = 6.49
|change = –2.42
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Maurice de Woolf
|votes = 1,947
|percentage = 6.28
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = William Crowe
|votes = 1,749
|percentage = 5.64
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent politician|candidate=William Rea|votes=1,689|percentage=5.45|change=}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = William Woolhouse
|votes = 1,610
|percentage = 5.19
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Independent politician|candidate=Philip Cossham|votes=1,588|percentage=5.12|change=}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Evan Collett
|votes = 1,500
|percentage = 4.84
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate|
|party = United Action
|color = #00CED1
|candidate = Patrick Fee
|votes = 1,342
|percentage = 4.33
|change = –2.04
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Communist Party of New Zealand|candidate=Ralph Gooderidge|votes=1,068|percentage=3.44|change=}}
{{Election box candidate with party link||party=Communist Party of New Zealand|candidate=Ron Smith|votes=1,017|percentage=3.28|change=–1.01}}
{{Election box end}}
Table footnotes:
{{reflist|group=nb}}
Notes
{{reflist}}
References
- {{cite book |last = Betts |first=George |author-link=George Betts (political scientist) |title = Betts on Wellington: A City and its Politics |year = 1970 |publisher = A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. |location = Wellington |isbn = 0 589 00469 7 }}
{{Mayors of Wellington|state=autocollapse}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wellington City Mayoral Election, 1965}}
Category:Mayoral elections in Wellington
Category:1965 elections in New Zealand