40th New Zealand Parliament

40th Parliament of New Zealand
←39th Parliament 41st Parliament→
Parliament House, Wellington
Overview
Legislative bodyNew Zealand Parliament
Term6 April 1982 – 14 June 1984
Election1981 New Zealand general election
GovernmentThird National Government
House of Representatives
Members92
Speaker of the HouseRichard Harrison
Leader of the HouseDavid Thomson
Prime MinisterRobert Muldoon
Leader of the OppositionDavid Lange
— Bill Rowling until 3 February 1983
Sovereign
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor-GeneralDavid Beattie
Sessions
1st6 April 1982 – 17 December 1982
2nd7 April 1983 – 16 December 1983
3rd31 May 1984 – 14 June 1984

The 40th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1981 election, and it sat until the 1984 election.

The 40th Parliament was the third and final term of the third National Party government. Robert Muldoon, who served as both Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, remained in power. The Labour Party, led by former Prime Minister Bill Rowling, had made significant gains (actually winning the largest portion of the popular vote), but remained in opposition. The Social Credit Party was the only other opposition party in the 40th Parliament, holding two seats.

The 40th Parliament consisted of ninety-two representatives, the same as in the previous election. All of these representatives were chosen by single-member geographical electorates, including four special Māori electorates.

Electoral boundaries for the 40th Parliament

Overview of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 1981 election and at dissolution:

Affiliation Members
At 1981 election At dissolution
National 47 47
Government total
Labour 43 43
Social Credit 2 2
Government total 45 45
Total
 92 92
Working Government majority 2 2

Notes

  • The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.

Initial composition of the 40th Parliament

The tables below shows the results of the 1981 general election:

Key

  National   Labour   Social Credit   Mana Motuhake   Independent

Electorate results for the 1981 New Zealand general election[1]
Electorate Incumbent Winner Majority Runner up
General electorates
Albany Don McKinnon 1,964 Bryan Mockridge
Ashburton Rob Talbot 3,655 John Srhoy
Auckland Central Richard Prebble 6,614 Dorice Reid
Avon Mary Batchelor 7,820 Colin McNicholl
Awarua Rex Austin 2,341 Dick Fitzgerald
Bay of Islands Neill Austin 864 Les Hunter
Birkenhead Jim McLay 2,104 Bill Smith
Christchurch Central Geoffrey Palmer 7,028 Ian Wilson
Clutha Robin Gray 661 Clive Matthewson
Dunedin Central Brian MacDonell 4,169 Nancy Ruth King[2]
Dunedin North Stan Rodger 4,733 Des Bleach
East Cape Duncan MacIntyre 1,964 Peter Dey
East Coast Bays Gary Knapp 758 Don Brash
Eastern Hutt Trevor Young 5.011 Alex Duthie
Eden Aussie Malcolm 117 Ian Scott
Fendalton Eric Holland Philip Burdon 1,158 David Close[3]
Gisborne Bob Bell 150 Allan Wallbank[nb 1]
Hamilton East Ian Shearer 1,188 Lois Welch
Hamilton West Mike Minogue 1,477 Paddy McCaffrey
Hastings David Butcher 1,845 Hamish Kynoch[2]
Hauraki Leo Schultz Graeme Lee 1,787 Gordon Miller
Hawkes Bay Richard Harrison 2,430 Mike Cullen
Helensville Dail Jones 216 Jack Elder
Heretaunga Ron Bailey Bill Jeffries 2,233 Ronald Palmer
Horowhenua Geoff Thompson 876 David Page
Hunua Winston Peters Colin Moyle 996 Winston Peters
Invercargill Norman Jones 1,592 Dougal Soper
Island Bay Frank O'Flynn 3,938 Doug Catley
Kaimai Bruce Townshend 5,146 Douglas Conway
Kaipara Peter Wilkinson 1,029 Nevern Connachy
Kapiti Barry Brill Margaret Shields 495 Barry Brill
King Country Jim Bolger 2,158 Derek Mason
Lyttelton Ann Hercus 3,892 Simon Stamers-Smith
Manawatu Michael Cox 2,913 Dennis Kessell
Mangere David Lange 5,806 John Pettit
Manurewa Roger Douglas 2,815 Keith Ralph
Marlborough Doug Kidd 1,643 Graeme Macann
Matamata Jack Luxton 3,460 David Mawdsley
Miramar Bill Young Peter Neilson 649 Bill Young
Mount Albert Warren Freer Helen Clark 3,907 Warren W. Moyes
Napier Gordon Christie Geoff Braybrooke 3,009 Kevin Rose
Nelson Mel Courtney[nb 2] Philip Woollaston 698 Mel Courtney
New Lynn Jonathan Hunt 4,874 Ron Hanson
New Plymouth Tony Friedlander 1,567 Dennis Duggan
North Shore George Gair 3,969 Peter Chambers
Ohariu Hugh Templeton 1,567 Norman Ely
Onehunga Fred Gerbic 2,012 Sue Wood
Otago Warren Cooper 4,893 Bryan Griffiths
Otahuhu Bob Tizard 5,164 Stuart McDowell
Pahiatua John Falloon 7,569 Bill Sutton
Pakuranga Pat Hunt 783 Neil Morrison
Palmerston North Joe Walding Trevor de Cleene 2,110 Brian Elwood
Papakura Merv Wellington 3,215 John Cheeseman
Papanui Mike Moore 4,409 Brian Keeley
Papatoetoe Eddie Isbey 1,689 Roy McKeen
Pencarrow Fraser Colman 4,065 Willard Amaru
Porirua Gerry Wall 3,639 Estelle Brittain
Rangiora Derek Quigley 932 Chris Hayward
Rangiriri Bill Birch 3,004 Roy Hayward
Rangitikei Bruce Beetham 2,376 Paul Bardwell
Remuera Allan Highet 5,105 Judith Tizard
Roskill Arthur Faulkner Phil Goff 2,525 Cheryl Parsons
Rotorua Paul East 1,544 Johnny W Lepper
St Albans David Caygill 4,926 Jim Baker
St Kilda Bill Fraser Michael Cullen 3,579 Stuart Clark
Selwyn Colin McLachlan Ruth Richardson 2,129 Bill Woods
Sydenham John Kirk 5,594 Richard Bach
Tamaki Robert Muldoon 5,153 Richard Northey
Taranaki David Thomson 4,470 Brian Heilihy
Tarawera Ian McLean 2,442 Noel Scott
Tasman Bill Rowling 2,246 Ted Krammer
Taupo Jack Ridley Roger McClay[nb 3] 36 Jack Ridley
Tauranga Keith Allen 2,232 Paul Hills
Te Atatu Michael Bassett 3,330 Stella Noble
Timaru Sir Basil Arthur 1,850 Jane Coughlan
Waikato Lance Adams-Schneider Simon Upton 4,661 Noel Johnston
Waipa Marilyn Waring 2,768 John Kilbride
Wairarapa Ben Couch 1,546 Tom Gemmell
Waitakere Ralph Maxwell 2,883 Martin Gummer
Waitaki Jonathan Elworthy 305 Jim Sutton
Waitotara Venn Young 2,784 Sam Gray
Wallace Brian Talboys Derek Angus 6,558 Owen Horton
Wanganui Russell Marshall 1,668 Terry Heffernan
Wellington Central Ken Comber Fran Wilde 1,283 Ken Comber
West Coast Kerry Burke 4,406 Doug Truman
Western Hutt John Terris 1,420 John Tanner
Whangarei John Elliott John Banks 1,743 Maurice Penney
Yaldhurst Mick Connelly 1,962 Margaret Murray[4]
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori Paraone Reweti Peter Tapsell 6,232 Albert Tahana
Northern Maori Bruce Gregory 3,541 Matiu Rata
Southern Maori Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan 8,665 Amster Reedy
Western Maori Koro Wētere 8,624 Eva Rickard

Table footnotes:

  1. ^ Wallbank was first on election night for Gisborne, but lost on a recount.
  2. ^ Courtney had withdrawn from the Labour caucus in March 1981.
  3. ^ McClay was declared elected by the High Court after an electoral petition.

There were no by-elections held during the term of the 40th Parliament.

Notes

  1. ^ Norton 1988, pp. ?.
  2. ^ a b Gustafson 1986, p. 371.
  3. ^ Bohan 2004, p. 67.
  4. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 379.

References

  • Bohan, Edmund (2004). Burdon: a man of our time. Hazard Press. ISBN 978-1-877270-90-1. OCLC 62718931. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
  • Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946-1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. 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.