1967 Eastern Maori by-election

New Zealand by-election

← 1966 general

12 August 1967 (1967-08-12)

1969 general →

Turnout

9,012 (60.70%)


Candidate	Paraone Reweti	Arnold Reedy	Maanu Paul
Party	Labour	National	Social Credit
Popular vote	4,460	2,416	1,219
Percentage	49.49	26.81	13.53

MP before election

Puti Tipene Watene
Labour

Elected MP

Paraone Reweti
Labour

The 1967 Eastern Māori by-election was a by-election for the electorate of Eastern Maori on 12 August 1967 during the 35th New Zealand Parliament.

Background

The by-election resulted from the death of the previous member Puti Tipene Watene on 14 June 1967.

Candidates

Labour

Labour selected Paraone Brown Reweti, a waterfront worker from Tauranga, as their candidate. He was selected from a large field of nominees at a meeting in Rotorua. The party did not disclose the exact amount, but indicated the number was about 15.

Two days after the selection meeting another meeting was held by supporters of unsuccessful nominees alleging irregularities in the selection and claiming that a member of the selection panel was biased as they had nominated one of the candidates. The rift group later sent a telegram to Labour Party head office to Allan McDonald, the general secretary of the party. The telegram contained details of the allegations and stated Reweti's selection was an "indictment against the Labour Party" and threatened to stand an independent candidate in protest.

The selection dispute resulted in an independent candidate, Donald Mairangi Bennett, being selected by the rift group. Bennett, a car salesman, was a son of Bishop Frederick Bennett. The group said they were standing not as a protest not against Reweti, but against a protest against the method by which he was selected.

National

The National Party had two candidates for nomination:

Hanara Tangiwha (Arnold) Reedy, a farmer from Ruatoria who had stood in the seat for National in 1963 and 1966
Monty Searancke, an employee of the Waterfront Industry Commission and former member of the Gisborne Native Affairs Department

Reedy was selected in a members ballot after which Searancke pledged his support for Reedy and undertook to accompany him on an electoral tour.

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1967 Eastern Maori by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paraone Reweti	4,460	49.49
	National	Arnold Reedy	2,416	26.81	−3.93
	Social Credit	Maanu Paul	1,219	13.53	+3.11
	Independent Maori	Don Bennett	671	7.45
	Independent	Te Okanga Huata	246	2.73
Majority			2,044	22.68
Turnout			9,012	60.70	−15.58
Registered electors			14,849
	Labour hold		Swing

The by-election was won by Paraone Reweti, also of the Labour Party.

Notes

"Labour Party Candidate". The Press. Vol. CVII, no. 31417. 10 July 1967. p. 24.
"Protest Made - Choice of Candidate". The Press. Vol. CVII, no. 31419. 12 July 1967. p. 28.
"Eastern Maori - Independent Chosen". The Press. Vol. CVII, no. 31422. 15 July 1967. p. 14.
^ "National Choice - Eastern Maori Electorate". The Press. Vol. CVII, no. 31423. 17 July 1967. p. 12.
Norton 1988, p. 395.

References

Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. p. 395. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
Wood, G. A. (1996) . Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament (2 ed.). Dunedin: University of Otago Press. p. 113. ISBN 1-877133-00-0.

v t e « (1912–1938) « By-elections in New Zealand in the two-party era (1939–1995) » (1996–present) »
26th Parliament	Christchurch South, 1939 Auckland West, 1940 Waipawa, 1940 Waitemata, 1941 Bay of Plenty, 1941 Mid-Canterbury, 1942 Temuka, 1942 Hauraki, 1942 Christchurch East, 1943 Northern Maori, 1943
27th Parliament	Awarua, 1944 Western Maori, 1945 Hamilton, 1945 Dunedin North, 1945 Raglan, 1946
28th Parliament	Avon, 1947 Mount Albert, 1947 Westland, 1947
29th Parliament	Brooklyn, 1951
30th Parliament	Dunedin North, 1953 Onehunga, 1953 Onslow, 1954 Patea, 1954
31st Parliament	Riccarton, 1956 Bay of Plenty, 1957
32nd Parliament	Hamilton, 1959
33rd Parliament	Hurunui, 1961 Waitaki, 1962 Buller, 1962 Timaru, 1962 Otahuhu, 1963 Northern Maori, 1963 Grey Lynn, 1963
34th Parliament	There were no by-elections during the term of the 34th Parliament.
35th Parliament	Southern Maori, 1967 Fendalton, 1967 Petone, 1967 Palmerston North, 1967 Eastern Maori, 1967 Hutt, 1968
36th Parliament	Marlborough, 1970
37th Parliament	Sydenham, 1974
38th Parliament	Nelson, 1976 Mangere, 1977 Pahiatua, 1977 Rangitikei, 1978
39th Parliament	Christchurch Central, 1979 Northern Maori, 1980 Onehunga, 1980 East Coast Bays, 1980
40th Parliament	There were no by-elections during the term of the 40th Parliament.
41st Parliament	Timaru, 1985
42nd Parliament	There were no by-elections during the term of the 42nd Parliament.
43rd Parliament	Tamaki, 1992 Wellington Central, 1992 Tauranga, 1993
44th Parliament	Selwyn, 1994

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