The Eden by-election of 1926 was a by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 for the Eden electorate

Eden (New Zealand electorate)

Eden is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, in the city of Auckland.-Population Centres:The electorate is urban, and comprises a number of inner-city suburbs in the central-south part of Auckland.-History:...

 during the 22nd New Zealand Parliament

22nd New Zealand Parliament

The 22nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1925 elections, and it sat until the 1928 elections....

. The seat became vacant after the appointment of the sitting member, Christopher Parr of the Reform Party

New Zealand Reform Party

The Reform Party, formally the New Zealand Political Reform League, was New Zealand's second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party...

 as High Commissioner to London. Parr resigned on 26 March.

The by-election was held on 15 April 1926. Three candidates contested the seat. Ellen Melville

Ellen Melville

Eliza Ellen Melville was a New Zealand feminist and politician.Melville was born in Tokatoka, on the Wairoa River south of Dargaville. Her father was a farmer and boatbuilder, while her mother was a former teacher...

 stood as an Independent Reform candidate, claiming interference by the party organiser Albert Davy

Albert Davy

Albert Ernest Davy was a New Zealand political organiser and campaign manager; and at the height of his career, was regarded by some as the best in the country...

 prevented her being selected as the official candidate. The Reform Party vote was split allowing the Labour candidate, Rex Mason

Rex Mason

Henry Greathead Rex Mason was a New Zealand politician. He served as Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, and Minister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the direction of the Labour Party...

, to win.

Harry Holland

Harry Holland

Henry Edmund Holland was a New Zealand politician and unionist. He was the first leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.-Early life:...

 became Leader of the Opposition

Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand)

The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who, at least in theory, commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand Parliament. In the debating chamber the Leader of the Opposition sits directly opposite the Prime Minister...

 on 16 June 1926, as a result of the Eden by-election as Labour was now the second largest party in Parliament.