# 1951 New Zealand general election

The 1951 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 30th term. The First National Government was re-elected, with the National Party increasing its parliamentary majority over the opposition Labour Party. This was the last time until the 2020 election that a party was elected to majority government of New Zealand by receiving a majority of the vote.

## Background

The National Party had formed its first administration after the 1949 elections, in which it had ended four terms of government by the Labour Party. The National government, with Sidney Holland as Prime Minister, had undertaken a number of economic and constitutional reforms, although it had not seriously modified the new social welfare system which Labour had introduced. Labour's leader, Peter Fraser, had died in December 1950 after a long period of poor health, and had been replaced in January 1951 by Walter Nash. Nash had been Minister of Finance for the duration of the first Labour government.
The most significant issue in the 1951 elections was the growing industrial unrest of the time, particularly the ongoing dockworkers dispute. Holland condemned the strikers, calling the situation "industrial anarchy". The Labour Party, under Nash, attempted to take a moderate position in the dispute, but ended up displeasing both sides. Holland, seeking a mandate to respond strongly to the strike, called a snap election. Another issue was high inflation, which frustrated voters and without the distraction of the strike, might have threatened Holland's government at the scheduled election for 1952.

### MPs retiring in 1951

Two MPs retired at the election, one each from Labour and National.
| Party | Party | Name | Electorate |
| | Labour | Bill Parry | Arch Hill |
| | National | Frederick Doidge | Tauranga |

## The election

The date for the main 1951 elections was 1 September, and for the first time, elections to the four Maori seats were held on the same day. The 1951 elections were also the first under the new regulations which required elections to be held on a Saturday. 1,205,762 people were registered to vote, and turnout was 89.1%. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.

## Results
### Party standings

The 1951 election saw the governing National Party re-elected with a twenty-seat margin, a substantial improvement on the twelve-seat margin it previously held. National won fifty seats compared with the Labour Party's thirty. The popular vote was closer, however, with National winning 54% to Labour's 46%. No seats were won by minor party candidates or by independents. No party then captured a majority of the vote until the 2020 election, when Labour won 50.01%.
Election results :
| Party | Party | Candidates | Total votes | Percentage | Seats won | change |
| | National | 80 | 577,630 | 54.00 | 50 | +4 |
| | Labour | 80 | 490,143 | 45.80 | 30 | −4 |
| | Communist | 4 | 528 | 0.05 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Others | 7 | 1,490 | 0.14 | 0 | ±0 |
| Total | Total | 171 | 1,069,791 | | 80 | |

### Votes summary

Popular Vote
National
54.00%
Labour
45.80%
Others
0.20% :
Parliament seats
National
62.50%
Labour
37.50% :
Key
 Labour  National
Electorate results for the 1951 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Arch Hill | Bill Parry | | John Stewart | 3,965 | Paddy Hope |
| Ashburton | Geoff Gerard | Geoff Gerard | Geoff Gerard | 2,867 | William Erle Rose |
| Auckland Central | Bill Anderton | Bill Anderton | Bill Anderton | 2,168 | Peter Hillyer |
| Avon | John Mathison | John Mathison | John Mathison | 4,212 | Douglas Warren Russell |
| Awarua | George Herron | George Herron | George Herron | 3,755 | Neville Pickering |
| Bay of Plenty | Bill Sullivan | Bill Sullivan | Bill Sullivan | 4,047 | Godfrey Santon |
| Brooklyn | Arnold Nordmeyer | Arnold Nordmeyer | Arnold Nordmeyer | 1,826 | Charles William Clift |
| Buller | Jerry Skinner | Jerry Skinner | Jerry Skinner | 1,227 | Phil McDonald |
| Central Otago | William Bodkin | William Bodkin | William Bodkin | 3,620 | T A Rodgers |
| Christchurch Central | Robert Macfarlane | Robert Macfarlane | Robert Macfarlane | 4,103 | Alma Schumacher |
| Clutha | James Roy | James Roy | James Roy | 3,583 | J M Sanders |
| Dunedin Central | Phil Connolly | Phil Connolly | Phil Connolly | 373 | Walter MacDougall |
| Dunedin North | Robert Walls | Robert Walls | Robert Walls | 307 | Donald Cameron |
| Eden | Wilfred Fortune | Wilfred Fortune | Wilfred Fortune | 2,802 | John Ronald Burfitt |
| Egmont | Ernest Corbett | Ernest Corbett | Ernest Corbett | 4,896 | Brian Edgar Richmond |
| Fendalton | Sidney Holland | Sidney Holland | Sidney Holland | 4,366 | Philip John Alley |
| Franklin | Jack Massey | Jack Massey | Jack Massey | 5,358 | Arthur Faulkner |
| Gisborne | Reginald Keeling | | Harry Dudfield | 338 | Reginald Keeling |
| Grey Lynn | Fred Hackett | Fred Hackett | Fred Hackett | 3,813 | Harold Barry |
| Hamilton | Hilda Ross | Hilda Ross | Hilda Ross | 2,252 | Ben Waters |
| Hastings | Sydney Jones | Sydney Jones | Sydney Jones | 1,138 | Henry Edward Beattie |
| Hauraki | Andy Sutherland | Andy Sutherland | Andy Sutherland | 4,468 | Brevat William Dynes |
| Hawke's Bay | Cyril Harker | Cyril Harker | Cyril Harker | 4,153 | A Lowe |
| Hobson | Sidney Smith | Sidney Smith | Sidney Smith | 5,337 | Norman King |
| Hurunui | William Gillespie | William Gillespie | William Gillespie | 2,921 | Ed Cassidy |
| Hutt | Walter Nash | Walter Nash | Walter Nash | 2,248 | Jack Andrews |
| Invercargill | Ralph Hanan | Ralph Hanan | Ralph Hanan | 2,123 | F G Spurdle |
| Island Bay | Robert McKeen | Robert McKeen | Robert McKeen | 1,680 | James Duncan |
| Karori | Charles Bowden | Charles Bowden | Charles Bowden | 3,453 | Jim Bateman |
| Lyttelton | Terry McCombs | | Harry Lake | 133 | Terry McCombs |
| Manawatu | Matthew Oram | Matthew Oram | Matthew Oram | 3,465 | B A Rodgers |
| Marlborough | Tom Shand | Tom Shand | Tom Shand | 2,452 | Ted Meachen |
| Marsden | Alfred Murdoch | Alfred Murdoch | Alfred Murdoch | 4,001 | Mervyn Allan Hosking |
| Miramar | Bob Semple | Bob Semple | Bob Semple | 301 | Cuthbert Taylor |
| Mornington | Wally Hudson | Wally Hudson | Wally Hudson | 3,783 | Richard Philling |
| Mount Albert | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | 604 | Reg Judson |
| Mount Victoria | Jack Marshall | Jack Marshall | Jack Marshall | 2,198 | Frank Kitts |
| Napier | Tommy Armstrong | | Peter Tait | 44 | Tommy Armstrong |
| Nelson | Edgar Neale | Edgar Neale | Edgar Neale | 2,831 | Stan Whitehead |
| New Plymouth | Ernest Aderman | Ernest Aderman | Ernest Aderman | 2,335 | Clarence Robert Parker |
| North Shore | Dean Eyre | Dean Eyre | Dean Eyre | 2,155 | Richard Wrathall |
| Oamaru | Thomas Hayman | Thomas Hayman | Thomas Hayman | 1,315 | C J Ryan |
| Onehunga | Arthur Osborne | Arthur Osborne | Arthur Osborne | 1,966 | Leonard Bradley |
| Onslow | Harry Combs | Harry Combs | Harry Combs | 1,106 | John S Meadowcroft |
| Otahuhu | Leon Götz | Leon Götz | Leon Götz | 2,128 | James Deas |
| Otaki | Jimmy Maher | Jimmy Maher | Jimmy Maher | 1,142 | Phil Holloway |
| Pahiatua | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | 4,598 | Owen Jones |
| Palmerston North | Blair Tennent | Blair Tennent | Blair Tennent | 200 | Joe Hodgens |
| Parnell | Duncan Rae | Duncan Rae | Duncan Rae | 1,587 | Hugh Watt |
| Patea | William Sheat | William Sheat | William Sheat | 2,467 | Frederick William Finer |
| Petone | Mick Moohan | Mick Moohan | Mick Moohan | 2,135 | Norm Croft |
| Piako | Stan Goosman | Stan Goosman | Stan Goosman | 6,364 | Gilbert Parsons Kenah |
| Ponsonby | Ritchie Macdonald | Ritchie Macdonald | Ritchie Macdonald | 1,504 | Peter Dempsey |
| Raglan | Hallyburton Johnstone | Hallyburton Johnstone | Hallyburton Johnstone | 1,766 | James Harrison Wilson |
| Rangitikei | Edward Gordon | Edward Gordon | Edward Gordon | 3,677 | F A Dalzell |
| Remuera | Ronald Algie | Ronald Algie | Ronald Algie | 5,346 | Bob Tizard |
| Riccarton | Angus McLagan | Angus McLagan | Angus McLagan | 2,265 | Eric Philip Wills |
| Rodney | Clifton Webb | Clifton Webb | Clifton Webb | 4,893 | Arthur Laurence Leaming |
| Roskill | John Rae | John Rae | John Rae | 440 | Pat Curran |
| St Albans | Jack Watts | Jack Watts | Jack Watts | 1,415 | John Bernard Mora |
| St Kilda | Fred Jones | | Jim Barnes | 336 | Fred Jones |
| Selwyn | John McAlpine | John McAlpine | John McAlpine | 1,836 | Jim Barclay |
| Sydenham | Mabel Howard | Mabel Howard | Mabel Howard | 4,403 | Albert Hugh Stott |
| Tamaki | Eric Halstead | Eric Halstead | Eric Halstead | 1,461 | Tom Skinner |
| Tauranga | Frederick Doidge | | George Walsh | 5,400 | Hillary Joseph Pickett |
| Timaru | Clyde Carr | Clyde Carr | Clyde Carr | 564 | William Leslie Richards |
| Waikato | Geoffrey Sim | Geoffrey Sim | Geoffrey Sim | 6,369 | William Henry Bayly |
| Waimarino | Paddy Kearins | Paddy Kearins | Paddy Kearins | 67 | Arthur MacPherson |
| Waimate | David Kidd | David Kidd | David Kidd | 2,232 | A G Braddick |
| Wairarapa | Bert Cooksley | Bert Cooksley | Bert Cooksley | 2,032 | George Anders Hansen |
| Waitakere | Rex Mason | Rex Mason | Rex Mason | 641 | Robert Tapper |
| Waitomo | Walter Broadfoot | Walter Broadfoot | Walter Broadfoot | 5,286 | J Dwyer |
| Wallace | Tom Macdonald | Tom Macdonald | Tom Macdonald | 5,060 | J W Cleary |
| Wanganui | Joe Cotterill | Joe Cotterill | Joe Cotterill | 226 | Ernest Victor O'Keefe |
| Wellington Central | Charles Chapman | Charles Chapman | Charles Chapman | 277 | Berta Burns |
| Westland | Jim Kent | Jim Kent | Jim Kent | 2,325 | Isabella Catherine Brown |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | Tiaki Omana | Tiaki Omana | Tiaki Omana | 3,706 | Turi Carroll |
| Northern Maori | Tapihana Paikea | Tapihana Paikea | Tapihana Paikea | 2,132 | James Henare |
| Southern Maori | Eruera Tirikatene | Eruera Tirikatene | Eruera Tirikatene | 659 | William Beaton |
| Western Maori | Iriaka Rātana | Iriaka Rātana | Iriaka Rātana | 7,352 | Hoeroa Marumaru |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Terry McCombs was first on election night, but lost when special votes were included
* ↑ Tommy Armstrong was first on election night, but lost when special votes were included
* ↑ Joe Hodgens was first on election night, but lost when special votes were included