# 1983 Lower Hutt mayoral election

The 1983 Lower Hutt mayoral election was part of the 1983 New Zealand local elections held that same year. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Lower Hutt plus other local government positions including sixteen city councillors, also elected triennially. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

## Background

The incumbent Mayor, John Kennedy-Good, stood for a sixth term and was successful. The Labour Party made a modest recovery from its 1980 result, winning three extra seats. Former United Citizens councillor Don Lee severed his links with the ticket to run for the mayoralty. As an independent he was defeated for mayor as well as losing his seat on the city council and Hutt Valley Energy Board (the latter of which he was chairman of). He did however manage to retain his seat on the Wellington Regional Council (which Kennedy-Good was also elected to).

## Mayoral results

1983 Lower Hutt mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Citizens | John Kennedy-Good | 8,261 | 49.33 | −11.08 |
| | Labour | Alister Abernethy | 3,961 | 23.65 | |
| | Independent | Don Lee | 3,653 | 21.81 | |
| | Independent | Doug Whitcher | 629 | 3.75 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 242 | 1.44 | −0.81 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,300 | 25.67 | −2.87 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,746 | 42.00 | −4.00 |

## Councillor results

1983 Lower Hutt City Council election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | John Terris | 9,156 | 60.47 | +14.81 |
| United Citizens | Lucy Cole | 8,646 | 57.11 | +3.17 |
| United Citizens | Gerald Bond | 8,432 | 55.69 | +4.45 |
| United Citizens | Teri Puketapu | 8,432 | 55.69 | +2.81 |
| United Citizens | Lois Riseley | 8,375 | 55.32 | +7.19 |
| United Citizens | Roger Twentyman | 8,030 | 53.04 | +3.60 |
| United Citizens | Helen Thorstenson | 8,025 | 53.00 | +5.35 |
| United Citizens | Lawrie Woodley | 7,749 | 51.18 | +1.91 |
| United Citizens | David Ogden | 7,653 | 50.55 | +3.89 |
| United Citizens | Margaret Cousins | 7,603 | 50.22 | |
| Labour | Jan Taylor | 7,498 | 49.52 | +9.38 |
| Labour | Alister Abernethy | 7,434 | 49.10 | +9.37 |
| United Citizens | Ted Gibbs | 7,385 | 48.78 | |
| Labour | Chen Werry | 7,238 | 47.81 | −1.28 |
| United Citizens | Errol Baird | 7,081 | 46.77 | |
| United Citizens | Chris MacKay | 6,946 | 45.88 | |
| Independent | Don Lee | 6,808 | 44.96 | −11.56 |
| United Citizens | Russell Cockburn | 6,741 | 44.52 | |
| United Citizens | Henri Martens | 6,697 | 44.23 | +1.79 |
| United Citizens | Rowland Crone | 6,570 | 43.39 | −2.21 |
| United Citizens | Bernard Feehan | 6,493 | 42.88 | |
| Labour | Neville Pickering | 6,328 | 41.79 | |
| Labour | John Eaton | 6,275 | 41.44 | +5.78 |
| Labour | Elsie Broom | 5,980 | 39.50 | |
| Labour | Richard Luke | 5,945 | 39.26 | +4.05 |
| Labour | David Taylor | 5,675 | 37.48 | +4.18 |
| Labour | Ian Jenkin | 5,571 | 36.79 | |
| Labour | Patrick O'Hagan | 5,502 | 36.34 | |
| Labour | Peter Lorimer | 5,463 | 36.08 | |
| Labour | Ian Reid | 5,313 | 35.09 | |
| Labour | Tafa Malifa-Poutoa | 5,271 | 34.81 | |
| Labour | Alan McMillain | 5,214 | 34.44 | |
| Labour | Peter Petterson | 4,971 | 32.83 | +2.97 |
| Independent | Doug Whitcher | 4,161 | 27.48 | +8.55 |
| Unemployed Workers | John Forman | 2,104 | 13.89 | |
| Unemployed Workers | Dave Macpherson | 2,076 | 13.71 | |