1953 Onehunga by-election

1953 Onehunga by-election
Turnout	13,749 (63.48%)
Member before election; Arthur Osborne; Labour	Elected Member ; Hugh Watt; Labour

The Onehunga by-election 1953 was a by-election held in the Onehunga electorate in Auckland during the term of the 30th New Zealand Parliament, on 19 December 1953. The by-election was won by Hugh Watt of the Labour Party.

Background

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Arthur Osborne of the Labour Party on 15 November 1953.^[1] In early November 1953 Osborne announced that he was not seeking re-election and would retire at the 1954 general election due to ill health. As a result, Labour had already begun preparations to replace him in the electorate at the time of Osborne's death.^[2]

Candidates

Labour

There were two nominations for the Labour Party nomination:^[3]

Martyn Finlay, an Auckland lawyer and former MP for North Shore (1946–1949)
Hugh Watt, a local engineering business owner and chairman of the Onehunga Labour Representation Committee

The chairman of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee, Richard French "Dick" Barter, was also speculated as a candidate but he did not seek the nomination.^[4] The Labour Party selected Watt as their candidate at a selection meeting on 30 November.^[5] He had stood unsuccessfully for Labour in Remuera in 1949 election and in Parnell in 1951 election.^[6] A month earlier he had been elected to the Auckland Harbour Board for the Onehunga, Newmarket and combined district.^[7]

National

Leonard George Bradley was selected as the National Party candidate. Bradley had contested Onehunga in the previous general election in 1951 against Osborne where he slightly increased National's share of the vote. At the 1949 election he had stood unsuccessfully for National in Auckland Central.^[8]

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1953 Onehunga by-election^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Hugh Watt	6,868	66.99
	National	Leonard Bradley	3,385	33.01	−10.01
Informal votes			13	0.13
Majority			3,483	33.97
Turnout			13,749	63.48	−23.51
Registered electors			16,171
	Labour hold		Swing

Aftermath

Watt represented the electorate until he retired at the 1975 election.^[10] Bradley stood for National in Otahuhu in 1954 election and Waitakere in 1957 election, but was unsuccessful.

Notes

^ Wilson 1985, p. 225.
^ "Mr Osborne Dies After Long Illness". The New Zealand Herald. 16 November 1953. p. 10.
^ "Onehunga Seat – Choice of Labour Candidate". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27199. 17 November 1953. p. 10.
^ "By-election in Onehunga – Big Labour Majority in 1951". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27198. 16 November 1953. p. 8.
^ "Onehunga Seat – Labour Candidate ay By-election". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27211. 1 December 1953. p. 10.
^ Norton 1988, pp. 314, 331.
^ "Auckland Harbour Board Election". The New Zealand Herald. 6 November 1953. p. 4.
^ "Onehunga Seat – National Party's Candidate". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27208. 27 November 1953. p. 10.
^ Norton 1988, p. 295.
^ Wilson 1985, p. 244.

References

Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

[FOOTNOTEWilson1985225-1] Wilson 1985, p. 225.

[Obit-2] "Mr Osborne Dies After Long Illness". The New Zealand Herald. 16 November 1953. p. 10.

[3] "Onehunga Seat – Choice of Labour Candidate". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27199. 17 November 1953. p. 10.

[4] "By-election in Onehunga – Big Labour Majority in 1951". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27198. 16 November 1953. p. 8.

[5] "Onehunga Seat – Labour Candidate ay By-election". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27211. 1 December 1953. p. 10.

[FOOTNOTENorton1988314,_331-6] Norton 1988, pp. 314, 331.

[7] "Auckland Harbour Board Election". The New Zealand Herald. 6 November 1953. p. 4.

[8] "Onehunga Seat – National Party's Candidate". The Press. Vol. LXXXIX, no. 27208. 27 November 1953. p. 10.

[FOOTNOTENorton1988295-9] Norton 1988, p. 295.

[FOOTNOTEWilson1985244-10] Wilson 1985, p. 244.

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