# 1962 Porirua mayoral election

The 1962 Porirua mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Porirua plus other local government positions including ten borough councillors, also elected triennially. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

## Background

The locality of Porirua was part the Makara County Council which was abolished on 31 August 1962. The rural area became part of Hutt County, the urban area becoming Porirua Borough Council.
The Labour Party selected a ticket for the mayoralty as well as council candidates. Makara County Councillor Whitford Brown was nominated as part of the Labour's ticket for the election, but he declined any party endorsement. Brown attracted many Labour voters, particularly as Labour did not select a mayoral candidate after Brown his declination, and was successful in being elected Porirua's first mayor. He defeated four other candidates including another Makara County Councillor, Alf Mexted, and the former chairman of the Makara County Council, Robert Westley Bothamley, who was at the time the sitting chairman of the Hutt Valley Electric Board.
The council had its first meeting on 24 October where members were sworn in and councillor Ernie Maxwell was appointed deputy mayor.

## Mayoral results

1962 Porirua mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Whitford Brown | 885 | 36.47 |
| | Independent | Rairi Field | 667 | 27.49 |
| | Independent | Robert Westley Bothamley | 558 | 23.00 |
| | Independent Labour | Jim Hunter | 161 | 6.63 |
| | Independent | Alf Mexted | 134 | 5.52 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 21 | 0.86 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 218 | 8.98 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,426 | 50.00 |

## Councillor results

1962 Porirua Borough Council election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Independent | Whitford Brown | 1,285 | 62.22 |
| Independent | Jill Nixon | 1,157 | 56.02 |
| Independent | Christina Sylvia Bell | 1,138 | 55.10 |
| Independent | Ernie Maxwell | 1,033 | 50.02 |
| Independent | James Hamilton Wilson | 1,011 | 48.95 |
| Independent | Charles Jane | 1,005 | 48.66 |
| Independent | Bill Arnold | 921 | 44.60 |
| Independent | Alf Mexted | 874 | 42.32 |
| Labour | Duncan MacLeod | 865 | 41.88 |
| Labour | Mervyn Down | 852 | 41.25 |
| Independent | Matuaiwi Solomon | 839 | 40.62 |
| Independent | Donald Collins | 828 | 40.09 |
| Independent | John David Keay | 825 | 39.95 |
| Labour | Brownie Pūriri | 784 | 37.96 |
| Labour | Kevin Arthurs | 782 | 37.86 |
| Independent | Hec Stuart | 781 | 37.82 |
| Independent | John Marsh | 735 | 35.59 |
| Labour | Emily Anne Moffitt | 735 | 35.59 |
| Labour | Neville Collins | 660 | 31.96 |
| Labour | Charles Weller | 644 | 31.18 |
| Independent | Ivan Williams | 571 | 27.65 |
| Independent | Walter Cecil Henderson | 535 | 25.90 |
| Independent | Arthur Neville Cole | 448 | 21.69 |
| Communist | Paul Potiki | 379 | 18.35 |
| Independent | Jack Underhill | 363 | 17.57 |
| Communist | Tommy Heptinstall | 323 | 15.64 |
| Independent | Noel Tock | 278 | 13.46 |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ As Brown won the Mayoralty his election to the council was voided and his seat was awarded to the highest polling unsuccessful candidate.