Northern Maori by-election, 1980

Northern Maori by-election, 1980

7 June 1980

Turnout 6,831   Candidate Bruce Gregory Matiu Rata H Te K Toia Party Labour Mana Motuhake Social Credit Popular vote 3,580 2,589 560 Percentage 52.41 37.90 8.20

Member before election Matiu Rata Labour Elected Member Bruce Gregory Labour

The Northern Maori by-election of 1980 was a by-election for the Northern Maori electorate during the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It was prompted by the resignation of Matiu Rata, a former member of the Labour Party who was establishing a new group, Mana Motuhake. Rata believed that contesting a by-election would give him a mandate for his change of allegiance. In the end, however, the seat was won by Bruce Gregory, the new Labour Party candidate.

Results

The following table gives the election results:

Northern Maori by-election, 1980^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Bruce Gregory	3,580	52.41
	Mana Motuhake	Matiu Rata	2,589	37.90
	Social Credit	H Te K Toia	560	8.20
	Cheer Up	W Hetaraka	80	1.17
	Christian Democrat (1980)	Tom Weal	13	0.19
	Reform Party (1980)	P Te W Warner	9	0.13
Majority			991	14.51
Turnout			6,831	41.38
	Labour hold		Swing

References

1. Norton 1988, p. 398.

• 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.
• Wood, G. A. (1996) [1987]. Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament (2 ed.). Dunedin: University of Otago Press. p. 113. ISBN 1 877133 00 0.