Nelson by-election, 1976

The Nelson by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Nelson a predominantly urban seat at the top of the South Island.

The by-election occurred on 28 February 1976, and was precipitated by the death of sitting Labour Party MP and Speaker of the House Sir Stanley Whitehead on 9 January 1976.

The by-election was contested by all major parties. It was won by Mel Courtney, the Labour Party candidate, with a majority of 1505 (Courtney increased the majority Whitehead had achieved in the 1975 general election by an impressive 50 per cent-only three months after the National Party's landslide victory). Wellington's Dominion newspaper reported that: "The defeat was a shock to the super-confident National Party organisers, including some of the party's top officials who were predicting a 2000-vote National majority".^[1]

Mel Courtney, a 32-year-old supermarket proprietor, proved "an excellent choice" as a candidate, the victory at the polls vindicated the decision of the Labour Party's selection committee. Courtney stressed Nelson's needs as a community as the major theme of his campaign. He had "lived in Nelson for a number of years", was a Nelson City Councillor^[2] and struck a chord with electors: "Nelson is a unique place to live and consequently a local person (Mr Courtney) can best serve local interests" (1976 Survey).

Results

The following table gives the election results:

Nelson by-election, 1976^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Mel Courtney	8,418	48.4
	National	Peter Malone	6,913	39.7
	Values	G J Struik	1,583	9.1
	Social Credit	R Muller	452	2.6
	Imperial British Conservative	C P Weallens	38	0.2
Majority			1,505	8.7
Informal votes			66
Turnout			17,470	66.0
Registered electors			22,105
	Labour hold		Swing

References

1. The Dominion, 1 March 1976
2. The Evening Post, 14 February 1976
3. Norton 1988, p. 286.

References

• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
• "The Nelson By-Election: Politics in a New Zealand Community" by Levine, S (ed.) in Politics in New Zealand: A Reader (Sydney: George Allen and Unwin, Australia, 1978)
• "Spending the Allowance" p. 49 in Political People by Dreaver, A.J. (Auckland: Longman Paul, New Zealand, 1978)