# 1972 New Zealand general election

The 1972 New Zealand general election was held on 25 November to elect MPs to the 37th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Norman Kirk, defeated the governing National Party.

## Background

The National Party had been in office since the 1960 election, when it had defeated the ruling Labour Party, led by Walter Nash. The Second Labour Government was the shortest-lasting of all New Zealand governments to that day; in contrast, the Second National Government, led for the majority of its tenure by Keith Holyoake, would be re-elected three times.
National's policies were focused around stability and a "steady as she goes" approach, but Holyoake's Government was increasingly perceived as tired and worn-out. Additionally, Holyoake had been in politics since the 1930s, and his staunch conservatism was a poor fit for an increasingly cosmopolitan society. For much of the government's third term, there had been speculation as to when Holyoake would stand down. Finally, in February 1972, Holyoake stood aside and was replaced by his deputy, Jack Marshall, who took steps to reinvigorate the party.
Meanwhile, Norman Kirk had been at the helm of Labour since 1965. In this time, he had been modernising and updating the Labour Party, but narrowly lost the 1969 election. Kirk slimmed and dressed to improve his image, and visited several overseas Labour parties to broaden his knowledge. He activated a "spokesman" or shadow cabinet system to spread the responsibility, but it was difficult to avoid one composed largely of MPs from the Auckland and Christchurch areas. Despite the improvements, commentators speculated whether National would pull off another cliffhanger victory. Economic recession and voter fatigue had hurt National at the polls. Labour's slogan was "It's Time – Time for a change, time for Labour", which expertly captured the national mood.
A deciding election issue was the proposed raising of the levels of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau as part of the construction of the Manapouri Power Station to supply the aluminium smelter in Bluff with electricity. National wanted to proceed with the work but Labour pledged to keep the lake levels as they were. It became a deciding issue, with four National incumbents from Otago and Southland losing their electorates (Awarua, Invercargill, Otago Central, and Oamaru).

### MPs retiring in 1972

Nine National MPs and one Labour MP intended to retire at the end of the 36th Parliament.
| Party | Name | Electorate |
| National | John Rae | Eden |
| National | Alfred E. Allen | Franklin |
| National | Leslie Munro | Hamilton West |
| National | Don McKay | Marsden |
| National | Norman Shelton | Rangitīkei |
| National | Rona Stevenson | Taupo |
| National | George Walsh | Tauranga |
| National | David Seath | Waitomo |
| National | Dan Riddiford | Wellington Central |
| Labour | John Mathison | Avon |

### 1972 electoral redistribution

Since the 1969 election, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, with continued faster population growth in the North Island leading to an increase in the number of general electorates. Including the four Māori electorates, there had been 80 electorates since the 1902 election. This increased to 84 electorates through the 1969 election. The 1972 electoral redistribution saw three additional general seats created for the North Island, bringing the total number of electorates to 87.
Together with increased urbanisation in Christchurch and Nelson, the changes proved very disruptive to existing electorates. Only two South Island electorates were not altered by the redistribution (Clutha and Lyttelton). Only eight of the North Island electorates were not altered (Franklin, Gisborne, Hobson, Island Bay, Miramar, North Shore, Tamaki, and Wairarapa).
In the South Island, three electorates were abolished (Buller, Westland, and Selwyn), and three electorates were newly created (Rakaia, Tasman, and West Coast). In the North Island, five electorates were abolished (Hauraki, Marsden, Otaki, Waimarino, and Waitomo), two electorates were recreated (Coromandel and Otahuhu), and six electorates were newly created (East Coast Bays, Hamilton East, Kapiti, King Country, Ruahine, and Whangarei).

## Election day

The date for the 1972 elections was 25 November, a Saturday. 1,583,256 people were registered to vote. There was a turnout of 89.1%, slightly higher than the previous election and considerably higher than the following one. The number of electorates being contested was 87.

## Results

The election saw the Labour Party defeat the governing National Party in a landslide, winning 55 seats to National's 32. This represented the largest swing against a sitting government since Labour first won power in 1935. Labour was therefore able to form its first government since 1960, with Norman Kirk becoming Prime Minister. The second National government thus gave way to the third Labour government. No minor parties managed to gain seats, and no independents were elected. There were 1,583,256 electors on the roll, with 1,401,152 (88.50%) voting.
Change :
| Labour | 87 | 677,669 | 48.37 | 55 | +16 |
| National | 87 | 581,422 | 41.50 | 32 | -13 |
| Social Credit | 87 | 93,231 | 6.65 | - | ±0 |
| Values | 42 | 27,467 | 1.96 | - | ±0 |
| New Democratic | 86 | 8,783 | 0.63 | - | ±0 |
| Liberal Reform | 24 | 4,077 | 0.29 | - | ±0 |
| Socialist Unity | 5 | 444 | 0.03 | - | ±0 |
| National Socialist | 1 | 35 | 0.00 | - | ±0 |
| Independent | 43 | 8,503 | 0.61 | - | ±0 |
| Total | 456 | 1,401,152 | | 87 | +3 |

### Votes summary

Popular Vote
Labour
48.37%
National
41.50%
Social Credit
6.65%
Values
1.96%
New Democratic
0.63%
Liberal Reform
0.29%
Independents
0.61% :
Parliament seats
Labour
63.22%
National
36.78% :
The table below shows the results of the 1972 general election:
Key
National  Labour  Social Credit  Independent
Electorate results for the 1972 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Auckland Central | | Norman Douglas | Norman Douglas | Norman Douglas | 2,009 | Clive Edwards |
| Avon | | John Mathison | | Mary Batchelor | 6,055 | Gordon Thomas |
| Awarua | | Hugh Templeton | | Aubrey Begg | 723 | Hugh Templeton |
| Bay of Plenty | | Percy Allen | Percy Allen | Percy Allen | 2,189 | G B Mead |
| Birkenhead | | Norman King | Norman King | Norman King | 1,533 | Don McKinnon |
| Christchurch Central | | Bruce Barclay | Bruce Barclay | Bruce Barclay | 5,103 | Barbara Beaven |
| Clutha | | Peter Gordon | Peter Gordon | Peter Gordon | 2,131 | Les McKay |
| Coromandel | New electorate | New electorate | | Leo Schultz | 2,181 | Alyson Murphy |
| Dunedin Central | | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | 3,771 | Fred O'Neill |
| Dunedin North | | Ethel McMillan | Ethel McMillan | Ethel McMillan | 4,020 | John Wallis |
| East Coast Bays | New electorate | New electorate | | Frank Gill | 979 | Brian Pauling |
| Eden | | John Rae | | Mike Moore | 788 | Mary Kidd |
| Egmont | | Venn Young | Venn Young | Venn Young | 2,928 | Robert Logan Peck |
| Franklin | | Alfred E. Allen | | Bill Birch | 4,188 | Geoff Braybrooke |
| Gisborne | | Esme Tombleson | | Trevor Davey | 488 | Esme Tombleson |
| Grey Lynn | | Eddie Isbey | Eddie Isbey | Eddie Isbey | 5,487 | Jens Meder |
| Hamilton East | New electorate | New electorate | | Rufus Rogers | 397 | Ross Jansen |
| Hamilton West | | Leslie Munro | | Dorothy Jelicich | 544 | Derek Heather |
| Hastings | | Duncan MacIntyre | | Richard Mayson | 1,148 | Duncan MacIntyre |
| Hawkes Bay | | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | 600 | David Butcher |
| Henderson | | Martyn Finlay | Martyn Finlay | Martyn Finlay | 4,221 | Ross C. MacFarlane |
| Heretaunga | | Ron Bailey | Ron Bailey | Ron Bailey | 2,964 | John Schnellenberg |
| Hobson | | Logan Sloane | Logan Sloane | Logan Sloane | 1,148 | Howard Manning |
| Hutt | | Trevor Young | Trevor Young | Trevor Young | 3,397 | Michael Fowler |
| Invercargill | | John Chewings | | J. B. Munro | 765 | John Chewings |
| Island Bay | | Gerald O'Brien | Gerald O'Brien | Gerald O'Brien | 3,495 | Bruce Farland |
| Kapiti | New electorate | New electorate | | Frank O'Flynn | 706 | Barry Brill |
| Karori | | Jack Marshall | Jack Marshall | Jack Marshall | 4,408 | Adam Floyd |
| King Country | New electorate | New electorate | | Jim Bolger | 1,240 | Brent Clifton Sakey |
| Lyttelton | | Tom McGuigan | Tom McGuigan | Tom McGuigan | 3,235 | John Blumsky |
| Manawatu | | Les Gandar | | Allan McCready | 427 | Mervyn Hancock |
| Mangere | | Colin Moyle | Colin Moyle | Colin Moyle | 3,939 | Stanley Lawson |
| Manukau | | Roger Douglas | Roger Douglas | Roger Douglas | 2,844 | R O Price |
| Manurewa | | Phil Amos | Phil Amos | Phil Amos | 2,397 | Pat Baker |
| Marlborough | | Ian Brooks | Ian Brooks | Ian Brooks | 1,290 | Bruno Dalliessi |
| Miramar | | Bill Young | Bill Young | Bill Young | 434 | Brian Edwards |
| Mt Albert | | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | 3,980 | John Malcolm |
| Napier | | Gordon Christie | Gordon Christie | Gordon Christie | 3,725 | Merle Bell |
| Nelson | | Stan Whitehead | Stan Whitehead | Stan Whitehead | 1,933 | Ian McWhannell |
| New Lynn | | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | 4,312 | Gordon McDermott |
| New Plymouth | | Ron Barclay | Ron Barclay | Ron Barclay | 1,296 | Terry Boon |
| North Shore | | George Gair | George Gair | George Gair | 2,821 | Colin Chiles |
| Oamaru | | Allan Dick | | Bill Laney | 390 | Allan Dick |
| Onehunga | | Hugh Watt | Hugh Watt | Hugh Watt | 4,835 | Peter Blakeborough |
| Otago Central | | Murray Rose | | Ian Quigley | 1,483 | Murray Rose |
| Otahuhu | New electorate | New electorate | | Bob Tizard | 6,403 | D C Brooker |
| Pahiatua | | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | 4,359 | L J Cairns |
| Pakuranga | | Bob Tizard | | Gavin Downie | 1,802 | J B Irwin |
| Palmerston North | | Joe Walding | Joe Walding | Joe Walding | 1,766 | Paul William Mitchell |
| Papanui | | Bert Walker | Bert Walker | Bert Walker | 1,734 | Mollie Clark |
| Petone | | Fraser Colman | Fraser Colman | Fraser Colman | 5,340 | Nick Ursin |
| Piako | | Jack Luxton | Jack Luxton | Jack Luxton | 4,472 | I L Howell |
| Porirua | | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | 4,399 | Ross Doughty |
| Raglan | | Douglas Carter | Douglas Carter | Douglas Carter | 1,350 | Allan John Smith |
| Rakaia | New electorate | New electorate | | Colin McLachlan | 2,133 | Alex Clark |
| Rangiora | | Lorrie Pickering | | Kerry Burke | 866 | Adrian Hiatt |
| Rangitikei | | Norman Shelton | | Roy Jack | 3,037 | N R Pearce |
| Remuera | | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | 6,118 | Rex Stanton |
| Riccarton | | Eric Holland | Eric Holland | Eric Holland | 2,164 | David Jackson |
| Rodney | | Peter Wilkinson | Peter Wilkinson | Peter Wilkinson | 4,507 | Peter Trim |
| Roskill | | Arthur Faulkner | Arthur Faulkner | Arthur Faulkner | 4,439 | John Priestley |
| Rotorua | | Harry Lapwood | Harry Lapwood | Harry Lapwood | 786 | N F Pachoud |
| Ruahine | New electorate | New electorate | | Les Gandar | 552 | Sam Mihaere |
| St Albans | | Roger Drayton | Roger Drayton | Roger Drayton | 3,066 | Ron Doak |
| St Kilda | | Bill Fraser | Bill Fraser | Bill Fraser | 5,615 | Charles Kirby |
| South Canterbury | | Rob Talbot | Rob Talbot | Rob Talbot | 2,035 | David Braithwaite |
| Stratford | | David Thomson | David Thomson | David Thomson | 3,068 | D G Turney |
| Sydenham | | Norman Kirk | Norman Kirk | Norman Kirk | 6,986 | John Burn |
| Tamaki | | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | 4,590 | Alan Hedger |
| Tasman | New electorate | New electorate | | Bill Rowling | 1,834 | Gerald Hunt |
| Taupo | | Rona Stevenson | | Jack Ridley | 783 | James Frederick Higgins |
| Tauranga | | George Walsh | | Keith Allen | 2,215 | Henry Uttinger |
| Timaru | | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | 3,954 | Dave Walker |
| Waikato | | Lance Adams-Schneider | Lance Adams-Schneider | Lance Adams-Schneider | 4,208 | Bob Reese |
| Wairarapa | | Jack Williams | Jack Williams | Jack Williams | 1,086 | Ben Couch |
| Waitemata | | Frank Gill | | Michael Bassett | 2,544 | Ray La Varis |
| Wallace | | Brian Talboys | Brian Talboys | Brian Talboys | 2,904 | Ian Lamont |
| Wanganui | | Bill Tolhurst | | Russell Marshall | 2,879 | Bill Tolhurst |
| Wellington Central | | Dan Riddiford | | Ken Comber | 27 | David Shand |
| West Coast | New electorate | New electorate | | Paddy Blanchfield | 4,242 | Barry Dallas |
| Western Hutt | | Henry May | Henry May | Henry May | 2,392 | Julian Watts |
| Whangarei | New electorate | New electorate | | Murray Smith | 1,180 | Lawrence Carr |
| Wigram | | Mick Connelly | Mick Connelly | Mick Connelly | 5,255 | David Cox |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | Paraone Reweti | Paraone Reweti | Paraone Reweti | 6,190 | Koro Dewes |
| Northern Maori | | Matiu Rata | Matiu Rata | Matiu Rata | 5,260 | Graham Latimer |
| Southern Maori | | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | 8,251 | Kate Parahi |
| Western Maori | | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | 8,686 | R Te A H Rawiri |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Bruce Beetham came third for Social Credit in Rangitikei
* ↑ Shand was first on election night, but lost when special votes were included
* ↑ Julian Watts was a son of Jack Watts