# Auckland West

The former New Zealand parliamentary electorate on the western inner city of Auckland, was known as City of Auckland West from 1861 to 1890, and then Auckland West from 1905 to 1946.

## Population centres

From 1861 to 1884 the electorate comprised the suburbs of Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and Herne Bay. With the creation of the Ponsonby electorate for the 1887 election, Auckland West was moved south to include Grey Lynn, Newton and Kingsland.
From 1890 to 1905, Auckland West – along with Auckland Central and Auckland East – were merged into the multi-member City of Auckland electorate. In 1903 the Parliament passed the City Single Electorates Act, abolishing multi-member electorates from the end of the 15th Parliament in 1905.
The three inner-city Auckland electorates were recreated in 1905, with Auckland West first comprising the suburbs of Ponsonby, Herne Bay, Newton and parts of Grey Lynn; and from 1908 to 1946 covering Ponsonby and Herne Bay.

## History

The City of Auckland West electorate was created for the election held on 11 January 1861 and it lasted to 1890. During this period, City of Auckland West was a two-member electorate.
At the first election in 1861, Josiah Firth and John Williamson were elected. Firth resigned on 30 April 1862, and was succeeded by James Williamson (no relation to John Williamson) in the 1862 by-election.
In the December 1875 election, Sir George Grey and Patrick Dignan were the only candidates in the two-member electorate and were thus declared elected. In January 1876, Grey also contested and won a seat in the Thames electorate. A protest against Grey's election was lodged with the returning officer the following day, stating that Grey had not been eligible to stand for election in Thames, as he had already been elected in Auckland West. This petition was filed to the House of Representatives at the end of January. On 8 July, the report of the committee inquiring into Sir George Grey's election for the Thames was read to the House. It was found that his election to the Thames electorate was in accordance with the law, but that he had to make a decision for which electorate he would sit. On 15 July 1876, Grey announced that he would represent Thames, and he moved that a by-election be held in Auckland West for the seat that he would vacate there.
The 25 July 1876 by-election caused by Grey's retirement was won by Benjamin Tonks, who resigned in 1877.
The electorate was then represented by James Wallis 1877–81, William John Hurst 1879–81 and David Goldie 1887–90.
The "Auckland West" electorate was created in 1905, and lasted to 1946. It was held for 1905–11 & 1914–19 by Charles Poole, 1911–14 by James Bradney, and from 1919 until he died in 1940 by revered Labour prime minister Michael Joseph Savage. The next holder Peter Carr 1940–46 also died while holding the seat.

## Members of Parliament

Key
Independent Liberal Reform Labour

### multi-member electorate

From 1861 to 1881, City of Auckland West was a two-member electorate.
| Election | Winners | Winners |
| 1861 election | John Williamson | Josiah Firth |
| 1862 by-election | John Williamson | James Williamson |
| 1866 election | John Williamson | James Williamson |
| 1867 by-election | John Williamson | Patrick Dignan |
| 1871 election | John Williamson | Thomas Gillies |
| 1871 by-election | John Williamson | Thomas Gillies |
| 1875 (1st) by-election | John Williamson | George Grey |
| 1875 (2nd) by-election | Patrick Dignan (2nd period) | George Grey |
| 1875 election | Patrick Dignan (2nd period) | George Grey |
| 1876 by-election | Patrick Dignan (2nd period) | Benjamin Tonks |
| 1877 by-election | Patrick Dignan (2nd period) | James Wallis |
| 1879 by-election | David Goldie | James Wallis |
| 1879 election | William John Hurst | James Wallis |
| (Electorate converted to single member in 1881) |||||

### single member electorate

| Election | Winner |
| 1881 election | Joseph Dargaville |
| 1884 election | Joseph Dargaville |
| 1887 election | David Goldie (2nd period) |
| (Electorate abolished 1890–1905, see City of Auckland) |||
| 1905 election | Charles Poole |
| 1908 election | Charles Poole |
| 1911 election | James Bradney |
| 1914 election | Charles Poole (2nd period) |
| 1919 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1922 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1925 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1928 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1931 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1935 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1938 election | Michael Joseph Savage |
| 1940 by-election | Peter Carr |
| 1943 election | Peter Carr |
| (electorate abolished 1946; see Mount Albert) |||

## Election results
### 1943 election

1943 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Carr | 9,269 | 61.71 | −1.53 |
| | National | John W. Kealy | 3,867 | 25.74 | |
| | Democratic Labour | Pat Curran | 1,447 | 9.63 | |
| | People's Movement | Howard Moncrieff Bagnall | 232 | 1.54 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 203 | 1.35 | +0.65 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,402 | 35.97 | +3.14 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,018 | 72.68 | +12.65 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |

### 1940 by-election

1940 Auckland West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Peter Carr | 6,151 | 63.24 | |
| | Independent | Wilfred Fortune | 2,958 | 30.41 | |
| | Communist | Gordon Watson | 375 | 3.86 | |
| | Independent Socialist | Lawrence Pickles | 132 | 1.36 | |
| | Liberal | Joseph Kennedy | 15 | 0.15 | |
| | Independent | Enoch Naden | 8 | 0.08 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 68 | 0.70 | +0.05 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,193 | 32.83 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,136 | 60.03 | −29.73 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,170 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### 1938 election

1938 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 11,591 | 75.88 | +2.95 |
| | National | John W. Kealy | 3,584 | 23.46 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 100 | 0.65 | −0.46 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,007 | 52.41 | −0.20 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,275 | 89.76 | +1.20 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,017 | | |

### 1935 election

1935 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 8,567 | 72.93 | +10.00 |
| | United | Ernest David Stallworthy | 2,387 | 20.32 | |
| | Democrat | Joseph Alexander Govan | 792 | 6.74 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 131 | 1.11 | +0.50 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,180 | 52.61 | +8.49 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,746 | 88.56 | +8.78 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,263 | | |

### 1931 election

1931 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 6,442 | 62.93 | +15.92 |
| | United | Hugh Ross Mackenzie | 1,925 | 18.80 | |
| | Reform | John Allum | 1,870 | 18.27 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 63 | 0.61 | −0.23 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,517 | 44.12 | +32.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,300 | 79.78 | −6.47 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,911 | | |

### 1928 election

1928 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 5,361 | 47.01 | −5.18 |
| | United | Richard Speirs | 4,020 | 35.25 | |
| | Reform | Frank Adeane | 2,021 | 17.72 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 97 | 0.84 | −0.27 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,341 | 11.76 | +7.38 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,499 | 86.25 | −3.30 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,331 | | |

### 1925 election

1925 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 5,677 | 52.19 | −3.23 |
| | Reform | Samuel Oldfield | 5,201 | 47.81 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 122 | 1.11 | −0.39 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 476 | 4.38 | −8.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,000 | 89.55 | −2.53 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,283 | | |

### 1922 election

1922 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 5,649 | 55.42 | +11.18 |
| | Reform | John Farrell | 4,345 | 42.63 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 153 | 1.50 | +0.59 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,304 | 13.04 | +7.16 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,192 | 92.08 | +6.61 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,068 | | |

### 1919 election

1919 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Joseph Savage | 4,008 | 44.24 | |
| | Reform | Charles Frederick Bennett | 3,475 | 38.35 | |
| | Liberal | Andrew Entrican | 1,493 | 16.48 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 83 | 0.91 | −0.10 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 533 | 5.88 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,059 | 85.47 | +2.17 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,599 | | |

### 1914 election

1914 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Poole | 4,827 | 58.55 | +16.77 |
| | Reform | James Bradney | 3,416 | 41.44 | −15.31 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 84 | 1.01 | −0.45 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,411 | 17.11 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,243 | 83.30 | +2.38 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,895 | | |

### 1911 election

1911 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | James Bradney | 4,273 | 56.75 | |
| | Liberal | Charles Poole | 3,146 | 41.78 | −17.97 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 110 | 1.46 | −0.10 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,127 | 14.96 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,529 | 85.68 | +6.42 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,787 | | |

### 1908 election

1908 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Poole | 4,126 | 59.75 | +20.05 |
| | Independent Liberal | Robert Thompson | 2,671 | 38.68 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 108 | 1.56 | +0.56 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,455 | 21.07 | +15.75 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,905 | 79.26 | −6.90 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,711 | | |

### 1905 election

1905 general election: Auckland West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Charles Poole | 2,534 | 39.70 |
| | Conservative | James Parr | 2,194 | 34.37 |
| | Liberal–Labour | Thomas Taylor Masefield | 1,590 | 24.91 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 64 | 1.00 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 340 | 5.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,382 | 86.16 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,407 | |

### 1879 by-election

1879 City of Auckland West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | David Goldie | 776 | 74.83 |
| | Independent | Patrick Dignan | 261 | 25.17 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1037 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 515 | 49.66 |

### 1877 by-election

1877 City of Auckland West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | James Wallis | 470 | 63.69 |
| | Independent | Robert Graham | 268 | 36.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 738 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 202 | 36.31 |

### 1876 by-election

1876 City of Auckland West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Benjamin Tonks | 656 | 92.79 |
| | Independent | Henry Warner Farnall | 232 | 33.57 |
| | Independent | Singleton Rochford | 13 | 1.84 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 618 | 87.41 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 12 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 719 | |

### April 1875 by-election

April 1875 City of Auckland West by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Patrick Dignan | 565 | 59.41 |
| | Independent | Joseph Dargaville | 386 | 40.59 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 951 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 179 | 18.82 |