1977 Pahiatua by-election

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1977 Pahiatua by-election

| country = New Zealand

| flag_year = 1977

| type = presidential

| previous_election = 1975 New Zealand general election

| previous_year = 1975 general

| next_election = 1978 New Zealand general election

| next_year = 1978 general

| election_date = {{Start date|1977|04|30|df=y}}

| turnout = 14,377 (68.49%)

| image1 =

| candidate1 = John Falloon

| party1 = New Zealand National Party

| popular_vote1 = 9,059

| percentage1 = 63.01

| image2 =

| candidate2 = Alan Levatt

| party2 = New Zealand Labour Party

| popular_vote2 = 4,280

| percentage2 = 29.77

| title = MP

| before_election = Sir Keith Holyoake

| before_party = New Zealand National Party

| after_election = John Falloon

| after_party = New Zealand National Party

}}

The Pahiatua by-election of 1977 was a by-election for the electorate of Pahiatua on 30 April 1977 during the 38th New Zealand Parliament.

Background

The by-election resulted from the resignation of the previous member Sir Keith Holyoake when he was appointed Governor-General.

Candidates

;Labour

The Labour Party had seven candidates including:{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19770401.2.46 |title=Lecturer to bid for seat |work=The Press |date=1 April 1977 |page=4 }}

Trevor de Cleene, a Palmerston North City Councillor and Labour's candidate for Pahiatua in {{NZ election link year|1969}}
Dr Alan Levatt, a sociology lecturer at Victoria University
Paul Thornicroft, Labour's candidate for Pahiatua in {{NZ election link year|1975}}

Levatt, who earned his Ph.D. from Michigan University and had previously lectured in American universities, was selected as the candidate.

;National

Five candidates were shortlisted for the National nomination.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19770326.2.49 |title=Five party hopefuls in Pahiatua |work=The Press |date=26 March 1977 |page=6 }}

Graham Percy Adam, a company director and former Mayor of Eketāhuna
Garth Cassidy, a managing director from Waipukurau and member of the Hawkes Bay Harbour Board
John Falloon, a farmer from Masterton and the meat and wool chairman for the Wairarapa branch of Federated Farmers
Hamish Kynoch, a farmer from Ashley Clinton and runner-up for Young Farmer of the Year in 1972
Weston Macpherson, a farmer and chairman of the Norsewood branch of Federated Farmers.

At a selection meeting in the Pahiatua Town Hall four ballots were taken of National members. Kynoch was initially the frontrunner to win the nomination and lead the voting until the final ballot which selected Falloon as the candidate.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19770405.2.55 |title=Pahiatua candidate |work=The Press |date=5 April 1977 |page=6 }}{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=371}}{{cite news |title=Falloon named for Pahiatua |work=The Dominion |date=5 April 1977 |page=1 }}

;Values

The Values Party selected Peter McHugh as its candidate. McHugh, a secondary school from Hastings, had stood as the Values candidate for Pahiatua in {{NZ election link year|1975}}.{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19770331.2.38 |title=Values Party candidate |work=The Press |date=31 March 1977 |page=3 }}

Results

The following table gives the election results:

Notes

References

{{cite book |last= Norton |first= Clifford |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science |year= 1988 |publisher= Victoria University of Wellington |location= Wellington |isbn= 0-475-11200-8}}
{{cite book |last= Wood |first= G. A. |title= Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament |edition= 2 |orig-year= 1987 |year= 1996 |publisher= University of Otago Press |location= Dunedin |isbn= 1-877133-00-0 |page=113}}
{{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry |author-link = Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6 }}

Category:By-elections in New Zealand

Category:1977 elections in New Zealand

Category:Politics of Manawatū-Whanganui

Category:April 1977 in Oceania