1886 Western Maori by-election
The 1886 Western Maori by-election was a by-election held in the Western Maori electorate during the 9th New Zealand Parliament, on 23 December 1886. The by-election was caused by the death of the incumbent, Te Puke Te Ao, and was won by Hoani Taipua.
Background
[edit]Te Ao had won the Western Maori electorate in the 1884 election; it had been the first time that he had stood in a general election.[1] Te Ao died in October 1886.[2] This triggered the by-election, which was held on 23 December 1886.[3]
The election
[edit]The nomination meeting was held on 2 December 1868 at the court house in Wanganui, with George Thomas Wilkinson[4] presiding as the returning officer.[5] The candidates were nominated in the following order: Hoani Taipua, Ngawaka Taurua, Henare Kaihau of Waiuku, Wiremu Te Wheoro, and Sydney Taiwhanga.[6] The show of hands was strongly in favour of Hoani Taipua, and Te Wheoro demanded a poll, for which 23 December was set.[6]
The by-election was a decisive win for Hoani Taipua, who gained an absolute majority of the votes, and had a 33% lead over the second-placed candidate, Wiremu Te Wheoro.[7] Te Wheoro had previously represented the electorate, from 1879 until his defeat in the 1884 election.[8] Taipua went on to represent the electorate until his retirement at the 1893 election.[9]
Election results
[edit]1884 election
[edit]The 1884 general election was contested by eight candidates in the Western Maori electorate.
1886 by-election
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Hoani Taipua | 1,258 | 56.67 | ||
| Independent | Wiremu Te Wheoro | 519 | 23.38 | +12.40 | |
| Independent | Henare Kaihau | 225 | 10.14 | +0.43 | |
| Independent | Sydney Taiwhanga | 148 | 6.67 | +1.14 | |
| Independent | Ngawaka Taurua | 70 | 3.15 | ||
| Majority | 739 | 33.29 | +28.19 | ||
| Turnout | 2,220 | ||||
Notes
[edit]- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 180.
- ^ Scholefield 1940a, p. 17.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 238.
- ^ Scholefield 1940b, pp. 509f.
- ^ "Election Notice". Wanganui Chronicle. Vol. XXIX, no. 11413. 1 December 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ a b "The Western Maori Electoral District". Wanganui Herald. Vol. XX, no. 6087. 2 December 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Wanganui Herald". Wanganui Herald. Vol. XXI, no. 6117. 11 January 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 245.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 239.
- ^ "The Western Maori Election". The Evening Post. Vol. XXXII, no. 191. 30 December 1886. p. 2. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
References
[edit]- Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). Vol. I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : M–Addenda (PDF). Vol. II. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
