1961 Hurunui by-election

1961 Hurunui by-election

10 June 1961 (1961-06-10)
Turnout	12,557 (74.13%)
Candidate Lorrie Pickering Arthur Adcock Party National Labour Popular vote 6,644 4,760 Percentage 52.91 37.91
Member before election William Gillespie National Elected Member Lorrie Pickering National

The Hurunui by-election 1961 was a by-election held in the Hurunui electorate in North Canterbury during the term of the 33rd New Zealand Parliament, on 10 June 1961.

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP William Gillespie of the National Party on 23 April 1961.[1]

Candidates

Labour

The Labour Party selected Arthur Alexander Adcock as its candidate. Adcock, a railway worker, was secretary of the local Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants branch and a member of the Waimairi County Council. He had contested the seat in 1960 against Gillespie.[2]

National

There were several names put forward as potential nominees for the National Party candidacy:[3][4]

• Frederick Ashe, a farmer in Flaxton and Okuku, former member of the Eyre County Council who had contested the National nomination for Kaiapoi in 1938
• William Murray Dailey, a farmer at Oxford and chairman of the Oxford County Council
• J. A. G. Fulton, a farmer at Loburn and former chairman of the Sefton and districts branch of Federated Farmers
• Clutha N. McKenzie, a farmer at Motunau and chairman of Waipara County Council (grandson of Sir Thomas Mackenzie)
• Lorrie Pickering, a farmer at Motunau and radio broadcaster who was National's candidate for Avon in 1960
• Derek Quigley, a farmer at Waipara who was National's candidate for Sydenham in 1960
• W. W. Wood, a land agent and bookshop proprietor at Rangiora who was a committee member of the Rangiora National Party

Ultimately Pickering was chosen to contest the seat.[5]

Social Credit

The Social Credit Party selected Malcolm Jack Clark, an engineer from Waikari, as its candidate for the seat.[6]

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1961 Hurunui by-election[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Lorrie Pickering	6,644	52.91
	Labour	Arthur Adcock	4,760	37.91
	Social Credit	Jack Clark	1,153	9.18
Majority			1,884	15.00
Turnout			12,557	74.13
Registered electors			16,940
	National hold		Swing

The by-election was won by Lorrie Pickering.[8]

Notes

1. Wilson 1985, p. 199.
2. "Hurunui Seat – Labour Party Candidate". The Press. Vol. C, no. 29511. 12 May 1961. p. 12.
3. "Seven National Nominees For Hurunui". The Press. Vol. C, no. 29513. 13 May 1961. p. 13.
4. "Hurunui Seat – Farmers Seek Nomination". The Press. Vol. C, no. 29499. 28 April 1961. p. 14.
5. "Hurunui Seat – Mr Pickering To Stand". The Press. Vol. C, no. 29515. 17 May 1961. p. 14.
6. "Nominations For Hurunui Seat". The Press. Vol. C, no. 29518. 20 May 1961. p. 12.
7. Norton 1988, p. 250.
8. Wilson 1985, p. 227.

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.