New Zealand general election, 1935
Encyclopedia
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term
. It resulted in the Labour Party
's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage
becoming the first Labour Prime Minister
. The governing coalition, consisting of the United Party
and the Reform Party
, suffered a major defeat, attributed by many to their handling of the Great Depression
. The year after the election, United and Reform took their coalition further, merging to form the modern National Party
.
and the Reform Party
. United and Reform had traditionally been enemies – United was a revival of the old Liberal Party
, a progressive party with a strong urban base, while Reform was a conservative party with a strong rural base. When the 1928 elections
left United and Reform with an equal number of seats, United managed to obtain support from the growing Labour Party
, but in 1931, the worsening depression prompted a dispute over economic policy, and Labour withdrew its backing. Reform then agreed to go into coalition with United, fearing that an election would lead to significant gains for the "socialistic
" Labour. The coalition held on to power in the 1931 elections
, but the ongoing economic troubles made the government deeply unpopular, and by the time of the 1935 elections, Labour's support was soaring.
On Sunday 24 November, shortly before the election, an address by Colin Scrimgeour
("Uncle Scrim") on the Friendly Road radio station which was expected to urge listeners to vote Labour was jammed by the Post Office
of 90.8%. This turnout was considerably higher than for the turnout in the previous election, but still about average for the time period. The number of electorates being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.
, which won fifty-three seats, and formed the First Labour Government
. The governing coalition won only nineteen. This difference was not so great in the popular vote, however, with Labour winning 46.1% to the coalition's 32.9%. Apart from Labour and the coalition, the only two groups to win places in Parliament were the Country Party
and the Ratana
movement, both of which gained two seats.
Four independents were elected, Harry Atmore
, David McDougall
, Charles Wilkinson
and Robert Wright
. The independents were tactically supported by one of the major parties who did not stand a candidate against them, and they generally voted with that party; Wilkinson and Wright supported National while Atmore and McDougall supported Labour. And Labour did not stand candidates against the two Country Party members.
Many commentators blamed the coalition's failure to win seats on vote splitting
by the Democrat Party
, an "anti-socialist" group founded by a former organizer for the coalition, Albert Davy
. The Democrats won 7.8% of the vote, but no seats. Among their candidates were future National
MP's Frederick Doidge
and Matthew Oram
.
.
25th New Zealand Parliament
The 25th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 25 March 1936, following the 1935 election. It was dissolved on 16 September 1938 in preparation for the 1938 election....
. It resulted in the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage
Michael Joseph Savage
Michael Joseph Savage was the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand.- Early life :Born in Tatong, Victoria, Australia, Savage first became involved in politics while working in that state. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1907. There he worked in a variety of jobs, as a miner, flax-cutter and...
becoming the first Labour Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
. The governing coalition, consisting of the United Party
United Party (New Zealand)
The United Party of New Zealand, a party formed out of the remnants of the Liberal Party, formed a government between 1928 and 1935, and in 1936 merged with the Reform Party to establish the National Party...
and 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...
, suffered a major defeat, attributed by many to their handling of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The year after the election, United and Reform took their coalition further, merging to form the modern National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
.
Background
Since 1931, New Zealand had been governed by a coalition of the United PartyUnited Party (New Zealand)
The United Party of New Zealand, a party formed out of the remnants of the Liberal Party, formed a government between 1928 and 1935, and in 1936 merged with the Reform Party to establish the National Party...
and 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...
. United and Reform had traditionally been enemies – United was a revival of the old Liberal Party
New Zealand Liberal Party
The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...
, a progressive party with a strong urban base, while Reform was a conservative party with a strong rural base. When the 1928 elections
New Zealand general election, 1928
The New Zealand general election of 1928 was held on Tuesday, 13 November in the Māori electorates, and on Wednesday, 14 November in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament...
left United and Reform with an equal number of seats, United managed to obtain support from the growing Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
, but in 1931, the worsening depression prompted a dispute over economic policy, and Labour withdrew its backing. Reform then agreed to go into coalition with United, fearing that an election would lead to significant gains for the "socialistic
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
" Labour. The coalition held on to power in the 1931 elections
New Zealand general election, 1931
The 1931 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 24th term. It resulted in the newly formed coalition between the United Party and the Reform Party remaining in office as the Liberal-Reform Government, although the opposition Labour...
, but the ongoing economic troubles made the government deeply unpopular, and by the time of the 1935 elections, Labour's support was soaring.
On Sunday 24 November, shortly before the election, an address by Colin Scrimgeour
Colin Scrimgeour
Rev. Colin Graham Scrimgeour, known as Uncle Scrim or Scrim was a New Zealand Methodist Minister and Broadcaster....
("Uncle Scrim") on the Friendly Road radio station which was expected to urge listeners to vote Labour was jammed by the Post Office
New Zealand Post Office
The New Zealand Post Office was a New Zealand government department.As a Government Department, the New Zealand Post Office or N.Z.P.O., previously the Post and Telegraph Department or P & T, had as the political head the Postmaster General who was a member of Cabinet, and, when it was a separate...
The election
The date for the main 1935 elections was 27 November, a Wednesday. Elections to the four Maori electorates were held the day before. 919,798 people were registered to vote, and there was a turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
of 90.8%. This turnout was considerably higher than for the turnout in the previous election, but still about average for the time period. The number of electorates being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.
Results
The 1935 election saw a massive win for the opposition Labour PartyNew Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
, which won fifty-three seats, and formed the First Labour Government
First Labour Government of New Zealand
The First Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1935 to 1949. It set the tone of New Zealand's economic and welfare policies until the 1980s, establishing a welfare state, a system of Keynesian economic management, and high levels of state intervention...
. The governing coalition won only nineteen. This difference was not so great in the popular vote, however, with Labour winning 46.1% to the coalition's 32.9%. Apart from Labour and the coalition, the only two groups to win places in Parliament were the Country Party
Country Party (New Zealand)
The Country Party of New Zealand was a political party which based itself around rural voters. It was represented in Parliament from 1928 to 1938. Its policies were a mixture of rural advocacy and social credit theory....
and the Ratana
Ratana
The Rātana movement is a Māori religion and pan-tribal political movement founded by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in early 20th century New Zealand...
movement, both of which gained two seats.
Four independents were elected, Harry Atmore
Harry Atmore
Harry Atmore was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.Harry Atmore held the Nelson seat as an Independent for a total of thirty years from 1911 to 1914 and then from 1919 to his death in 1946...
, David McDougall
David McDougall
David McDougall was a United Party and an Independent Member of Parliament for Mataura, in the South Island of New Zealand.-Member of Parliament:...
, Charles Wilkinson
Charles Wilkinson
Charles Anderson Wilkinson CBE was a New Zealand Reform Party, then Independent Member of Parliament for Egmont, in the North Island.-Member of Parliament:...
and Robert Wright
Robert Alexander Wright
Robert Alexander Wright was the Mayor of Wellington from 1921 to 1925, and a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party.He represented the Wellington South electorate in Parliament from 1908 to 1911 when he was defeated, then the Wellington Suburbs and Country electorate from 1914 to 1919 and the...
. The independents were tactically supported by one of the major parties who did not stand a candidate against them, and they generally voted with that party; Wilkinson and Wright supported National while Atmore and McDougall supported Labour. And Labour did not stand candidates against the two Country Party members.
Many commentators blamed the coalition's failure to win seats on vote splitting
Vote splitting
Vote splitting is an electoral effect in which the distribution of votes among multiple similar candidates reduces the chance of winning for any of the similar candidates, and increases the chance of winning for a dissimilar candidate....
by the Democrat Party
New Zealand Democrat Party
The New Zealand Democrat Party was a political party in New Zealand, founded in 1934 with the purpose of opposing "socialist" legislation by the government....
, an "anti-socialist" group founded by a former organizer for the coalition, 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...
. The Democrats won 7.8% of the vote, but no seats. Among their candidates were future National
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
MP's Frederick Doidge
Frederick Doidge
Sir Frederick Widdowson Doidge, GCMG, was a journalist in New Zealand and England, then a National Party member in the New Zealand House of Representatives....
and Matthew Oram
Matthew Oram
Sir Matthew Henry Oram MBE was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1950 to 1957....
.
Results and the 25th Parliament
For a list of Members of Parliament elected in 1935, see 25th New Zealand Parliament25th New Zealand Parliament
The 25th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 25 March 1936, following the 1935 election. It was dissolved on 16 September 1938 in preparation for the 1938 election....
.
| Party | Leader | Percentage | Seats won | change | |
| Labour New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935.... |
Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage was the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand.- Early life :Born in Tatong, Victoria, Australia, Savage first became involved in politics while working in that state. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1907. There he worked in a variety of jobs, as a miner, flax-cutter and... |
46.1% | 53 | +29 | |
| United United Party (New Zealand) The United Party of New Zealand, a party formed out of the remnants of the Liberal Party, formed a government between 1928 and 1935, and in 1936 merged with the Reform Party to establish the National Party... -Reform 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... coalition |
George William Forbes George William Forbes George William Forbes served as the 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1930 to 1935. Few expected him to become Prime Minister when he did, and some believed him unsuitable, but he nevertheless remained in that office for five years... |
32.9% | 19 | −29 | |
| Democrats New Zealand Democrat Party The New Zealand Democrat Party was a political party in New Zealand, founded in 1934 with the purpose of opposing "socialist" legislation by the government.... |
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... |
7.8% | 0 | new party | |
| Country Party Country Party (New Zealand) The Country Party of New Zealand was a political party which based itself around rural voters. It was represented in Parliament from 1928 to 1938. Its policies were a mixture of rural advocacy and social credit theory.... |
Harold Rushworth Harold Rushworth Harold Montague Rushworth was a New Zealand politician of the Country Party.-Early life:Rushworth was born in Croydon, England and was educated at Rugby School and Jesus College, Oxford, graduating with a degree in law. He became a civil engineer and surveyor and worked for the London County... |
2.5% | 2 | +1 | |
| Ratana Ratana The Rātana movement is a Māori religion and pan-tribal political movement founded by Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana in early 20th century New Zealand... |
Eruera Tirikatene Eruera Tirikatene Sir Eruera Tihema Te Aika Tirikatene, KCMG was a New Zealand Māori politician of the Ngai Tahu tribe. Known in early life as Edward James Te Aika Tregerthen, he was the first Ratana Member of Parliament and was elected in a by-election for Southern Maori in June 1932 after the death of Tuiti... |
1.0% | 2 | new party | |
| Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... (including Harry Atmore Harry Atmore Harry Atmore was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.Harry Atmore held the Nelson seat as an Independent for a total of thirty years from 1911 to 1914 and then from 1919 to his death in 1946... ) |
9.7% | 4 | −1 | ||
| Labour win from Coalition New Zealand National Party The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:... |
100% | 80 | |||