New Zealand general election, 1905

1905 general election

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All 80 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives 41 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	83.3%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Richard Seddon William Massey George Laurenson Party Liberal Conservative New Liberal Leader since 1893 1903 1905 Leader's seat Westland Franklin Lyttelton Last election 47 seats 19 seats not yet founded Seats before 42 seats 21 seats 4 Seats won 58 16 2 Seat change 16 5 2 Popular vote 219,144 122,572 15,721 Percentage 53.1 29.7 3.8 Swing 1.3 9.1 3.8
Prime Minister before election Richard Seddon Liberal Prime Minister-designate Richard Seddon Liberal

The New Zealand general election of 1905 was held on Wednesday, 6 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 20 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 16th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 412,702 voters turned out, with 396,657 (83.25% of the electoral roll) voting in the European electorates.^[1][2][3]

Contents

• 
  1 Changes to the electoral law
  


• 
  2 Historic context
  


• 
  3 Results
  
  • 
    3.1 Party totals
    
  
  
  • 
    3.2 Votes summary
    
  
  


• 
  4 Electorate results
  


• 
  5 Notes
  


• 
  6 References
  

Changes to the electoral law

The 1903 City Single Electorates Act declared that at the dissolution of the 15th Parliament, the four multi-member electorates would be abolished and replaced each with three single-member electorates.^[4] It was also the year absentee voting was introduced for all electors unable to be in their own electorate on election day. The first Chief Electoral Officer was appointed.

Accordingly, the multi-member urban electorates of City of Auckland, City of Christchurch, City of Dunedin and City of Wellington were abolished and replaced with the following single-member seats:

• Auckland Central


• Auckland East


• Auckland West


• Christchurch East


• Christchurch North


• Christchurch South


• Wellington Central


• Wellington East


• Wellington North


• Dunedin Central


• Dunedin North


• Dunedin South

Nine of these twelve electorates had existed before. Wellington Central, Wellington North, and Dunedin North were established for the first time.^[5]

Historic context

In 1905 a progressive faction within the Liberal Party started to form in opposition to Liberal leader Richard Seddon's policies. They announced that they would stand in the election as the New Liberal Party, however an accusation against Seddon's son, when disproven saw most of the dissidents return to the Liberal Party, and of the four New Liberals (George Laurenson, Francis Fisher, Harry Bedford and Tommy Taylor) that stood in the election only Laurenson and Fisher were returned.

The freshly created Independent Political Labour League also contested the election as a breakaway faction from the Liberals. It was the first of many steps of a gradual move by urban labourers shifting allegiance to an independent working-class political party. Previously, most workers had supported the Liberal Party, which since the 1890s had attempted to gain Trade Union support by appointing union representatives to the party's governing body. The IPLL did not perform well, gaining only 3,478 votes nationwide with no candidates elected.^[6]

The Rev Frank Isitt was the Prohibition candidate for several South Island electorates, and came second in two.

Results

A cartoon depicting the infamous "Voucher incident" showing New Liberals distancing themselves from Fisher.

Party totals

The following table gives party strengths and vote distribution.^[7]

Election results
Party		Candidates	Total votes	Percentage	Seats won	Change
	Liberal	94	219,144	53.1	58	+11
	Conservative	63	122,572	29.7	16	-3
	New Liberal	7	15,721	3.8	2	+2
	Ind. Labour League	9	3,478	0.8	0	±0
	Independent	63	51,785	12.5	4	-10

Votes summary

Popular Vote Liberal   53.1% Conservative   29.7% New Liberal   3.8% Ind. Labour League   0.8% Independents   12.5%

Parliament seats Liberal   72.5% Conservative   20.0% New Liberal   2.5% Independents   5.0%

Electorate results

The following are the results of the 1905 general election:

Key

  Liberal  
  Conservative  
  New Liberal  
  Liberal–Labour  
  Independent Liberal  
  Independent  

[

• v


• t


• e

]

Electorate results for the New Zealand general election, 1905^[8][9]

Electorate	Incumbent		Winner		Majority	Runner up
General electorates
Ashburton		John McLachlan			244		John Studholme
Auckland Central	New electorate			Alfred Kidd	939		Lemuel John Bagnall
Auckland East	New electorate			Frederick Baume	871		Harry Bamford
Auckland West	New electorate			Charles Poole	340		James Parr
Avon		William Tanner					John Russell Brunt
Awarua		Joseph Ward			2,848		Henry Woodnorth
Bay of Islands		Robert Houston					John Charles Johnson
Bay of Plenty		William Herries					Joseph Foster
Bruce		James Allen					William Darcy Mason
Buller		James Colvin					Frank Isitt
Caversham		Thomas Sidey			1,760		William Earnshaw
Chalmers		Edmund Allen					William Pryor
Christchurch East	New electorate			Thomas Davey			Henry Featherston Toogood
Christchurch North	New electorate			Charles Gray	1,084		Tommy Taylor
Christchurch South	New electorate			Harry Ell			Charles Henry Winny
Clutha		James Thomson		Alexander Malcolm			Daniel Stewart
Courtenay		Charles Lewis					Thomas Jones McBride
Dunedin Central	New electorate			John A. Millar			Alexander Samuel Adam
Dunedin North	New electorate			Alfred Richard Barclay			Harry Bedford
Dunedin South	New electorate			James Frederick Arnold			William Downie Stewart
Eden		John Bollard					Robert French
Egmont		William Thomas Jennings					Charles Leech
Ellesmere		Heaton Rhodes					George Rennie
Franklin		William Massey			935		William Wilson McCardle
Geraldine		Frederick Flatman					William Jeffries
Grey		Arthur Guinness					Joseph Petrie
Grey Lynn		George Fowlds					John Farrell
Hawera		Charles E. Major			449		Felix McGuire
Hawke's Bay		William Russell		Alfred Dillon			William Russell
Hurunui		Andrew Rutherford					Obed Frederick Clothier
Hutt		Thomas Wilford			1,912		George Yerex
Invercargill		Josiah Hanan					Irvin Willis Raymond
Kaiapoi		David Buddo					Richard Moore
Kaipara		Alfred Harding		John Stallworthy			Alfred Harding
Lyttelton		George Laurenson			1,108		William Radcliffe
Manawatu		Job Vile		John Stevens			Job Vile
Manukau		Matthew Kirkbride					Ralph Duncan Stewart
Marsden		Francis Mander					Robert Thompson
Masterton		Alexander Hogg					James Christopher Cooper
Mataura		Robert McNab					Thomas MacGibbon
Motueka		Roderick McKenzie					Frank Isitt
Mount Ida		Alexander Herdman		John MacPherson			Alexander Herdman
Napier		Alfred Fraser			1,469		Montague W. P. Lascelles[10][11]
Nelson		John Graham					Harry Atmore
Newtown		William Henry Peter Barber					Thomas William Hislop
Oamaru		Thomas Young Duncan					James Mitchell
Ohinemuri		Edward Moss		Hugh Poland			Edward Moss
Oroua		Frank Lethbridge					Owen Carlin Pleasants
Otaki		William Hughes Field					Byron Paul Brown
Pahiatua		William Henry Hawkins		Robert Beatson Ross			William Henry Hawkins
Palmerston		William Wood					Frederick Pirani
Parnell		Frank Lawry					Murdoch McLean
Patea		Walter Symes					John Hine
Rangitikei		Arthur Remington					Joe Reginald Sommerville
Riccarton		George Witty					Thomas Henson Caverhill
Selwyn		Charles Hardy					Joseph Ivess
Taieri		Donald Reid					Alexander Marshall
Taranaki		Edward Metcalf Smith					Henry Okey
Thames		James McGowan					Malcolm Fleming
Timaru		William Hall-Jones					Frank Rolleston
Tuapeka		James Bennet					Robert Gilkison
Waiapu		James Carroll					Lissant Clayton
Waikato		Frederic Lang		Henry Greenslade			Frederic Lang
Waikouaiti		Thomas Mackenzie					Edward Henry Clark
Waipawa		Charles Hall			1,254		George Hunter
Wairarapa		Walter Clarke Buchanan		J. T. Marryat Hornsby			Walter Clarke Buchanan
Wairau		Charles H. Mills					John Duncan
Waitaki		William Steward			1,643		George Dash
Waitemata		Ewen Alison			971		Cecil Clinkard
Wakatipu		William Fraser					Michael Gilfedder
Wallace		John Charles Thomson					Dugald Macpherson
Wanganui		Archibald Willis		James Thomas Hogan	924		Archibald Willis
Wellington Central	New electorate			Francis Fisher	445		Patrick O'Regan
Wellington East	New electorate			John Aitken	19		William McLean
Wellington North	New electorate			Charles Hayward Izard	660		John Duthie
Westland		Richard Seddon					Harry Cowin
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori		Wi Pere		Āpirana Ngata			Wi Pere
Northern Maori		Hone Heke					Ru Reweti
Southern Maori		Tame Parata					Hopere Uru
Western Maori		Henare Kaihau			1,688		Tureiti Te Heuheu Tukino V

Notes

1. 
   ^ "New Zealand Elections 1905-1943". NZES. Retrieved 13 August 2011. 
   


2. 
   ^ "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 12 January 2011. 
   


3. 
   ^ "Results of the Polls". Ashburton Guardian. 7 December 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 24 August 2011. 
   


4. 
   ^ McRobie 1989, p. 67.
   


5. 
   ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 262, 276.
   


6. 
   ^ Paul 1946, p. 176.
   


7. 
   ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 287–289.
   


8. 
   ^ "The General Election, 1905". National Library. 1906. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 March 2014. 
   


9. 
   ^ "The Nominations". XXXVIII (284). Marlborough Express. 29 November 1905. p. 3. Retrieved 8 September 2016. 
   


10. 
    ^ "Personal Matters". The Evening Post. LXX (61). 9 September 1905. p. 5. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
    


11. 
    ^ "Deaths". The Evening Post. CXXVIII (72). 22 September 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
    

References

• 
  McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8. 
  


• 
  Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 
  


• 
  Paul, J.T. (1946). Humanism in Politics. Wellington: NZ Working Printing & Publishing. 
  

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