# 1978 New Zealand general election

The 1978 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to elect the 39th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, retain office, but the opposition Labour Party won the largest share of the vote. Reorganisation of the enrolment system caused major problems with the electoral rolls, which left a legacy of unreliable information about voting levels in this election.

## Background

The National Party had won a resounding victory in the 1975 elections, taking fifty-five of the eighty-seven seats and ousting the Labour Party from government. Labour had been led by Bill Rowling, who had assumed the post of Prime Minister on the death in office of the popular Norman Kirk. Labour won the remaining thirty-two seats in that election, with no other parties gaining entry to Parliament.
Labour's Rowling had been criticised by many for inadequately countering Muldoon's confrontational style, and was widely perceived as "weak". Following Labour's defeat, there had been speculation about replacing Rowling as leader of the party, but Rowling retained his position. Gradually, as some people wearied of Muldoon's style, Rowling's more reserved manner was held up as an asset rather than a weakness, and Labour began to gain a certain amount of traction again. Economic troubles hurt the government, and its reputation had fallen. Muldoon remained a powerful opponent, however, and was regarded as a strong campaigner.
Not long before the 1978 election, a by-election in Rangitikei caused considerable comment when it introduced a third party to Parliament: Bruce Beetham, leader of the Social Credit Party. Although other parties dismissed Social Credit's success as a fluke, Beetham predicted a great future for the party.

### MPs retiring in 1978

Five National MPs and three Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 38th Parliament.
| Party | Name | Electorate | Term of office | Date announced |
| National | Peter Gordon | Clutha | 1960–78 | 28 October 1977 |
| National | Allan McCready | Manawatu | 1960–78 | 8 August 1977 |
| National | Ed Latter | Marlborough | 1975–78 | 18 August 1978 |
| National | Harry Lapwood | Rotorua | 1960–78 | 18 August 1977 |
| National | Ray La Varis | Taupo | 1975–78 | 4 November 1977 |
| Labour | Martyn Finlay | Henderson | 1946–49 1963–78 | 25 May 1977 |
| Labour | Roger Drayton | St Albans | 1969–78 | 8 September 1977 |
| Labour | Paddy Blanchfield | West Coast | 1960–78 | 16 July 1977 |
Sir Stanley Whitehead MP for Nelson had announced he would retire at the end of the term in 1978, due to ill-health, but he died on 9 January 1976 triggering a by-election instead.

## Opinion polling

| Poll | Date | National | Labour | Socred | Values | Lead |
| 1978 election result | 25 Nov 1978 | 39.82 | 40.41 | 16.07 | 2.41 | 0.59 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 18 Nov 1978 | 38 | 39 | 20 | 4 | 1 |
| NBR | 1 Nov 1978 | 44 | 35 | 17 | 3 | 9 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 28 Oct 1978 | 45 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 7 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 30 Sep 1978 | 44 | 36 | 17 | 3 | 8 |
| NBR | 1 Sep 1978 | 44 | 35 | 16 | 4 | 9 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Aug 1978 | 46 | 39 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Jul 1978 | 46 | 39 | 12 | 3 | 7 |
| NBR | 1 Jul 1978 | 47 | 36 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Jun 1978 | 45 | 37 | 15 | 4 | 8 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 May 1978 | 43 | 38 | 16 | 4 | 5 |
| NBR | 1 May 1978 | 40 | 37 | 16 | 4 | 3 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Apr 1978 | 39 | 38 | 18 | 5 | 1 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Mar 1978 | 43 | 33 | 18 | 5 | 10 |
| NBR | 1 Mar 1978 | 41 | 31 | 22 | 5 | 7 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Feb 1978 | 45 | 35 | 14 | 6 | 7 |
| NBR | 1 Jan 1978 | 45 | 37 | 13 | 5 | 8 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Dec 1977 | 47 | 39 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| NBR | 1 Nov 1977 | 48 | 37 | 9 | 5 | 11 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Oct 1977 | 47 | 40 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Sep 1977 | 46 | 41 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Aug 1977 | 48 | 38 | 9 | 6 | 10 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Jun 1977 | 48 | 43 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 May 1977 | 47 | 40 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Feb 1977 | 46 | 37 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| TVNZ Heylen | 15 Jun 1976 | 48 | 39 | 8 | 5 | 9 |

## Electoral changes
### Problems

In 1975 several reforms had been made to the electoral system. These included combining the re-enrolment process with the taking of the 1976 census and replacing existing Justice Department registrars with electorate officers appointed from Post Office Staff. They would work in conjunction with Statistics Department and Electoral Office staff, and at the same time, a switch would be made from a manual to a computerised system.
A report completed in 1979 found that there had been poor liaison between the various departments involved, staff shortages and problems with the computer system. However, the main problem arose from the decision to combine re-enrolment with the 1976 census. Many voters had been confused by the need to re-enrol only a year after the previous election, and many had not bothered to fill out their forms. Census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed.
To avoid disenfranchising a significant portion of the electorate, the Chief Electoral Officer decided just to carry forward many old voter registrations in the hope that duplications and outdated enrolments would be purged later. However, not enough staff were provided to complete that in time, and by the time that the rolls closed, 35,000 forms remained unprocessed.
It has been estimated that as many as 460,000 enrolments may have been outdated or duplicates. Many voters (even candidates) found themselves enrolled in the wrong electorate or off the roll completely, and others were enrolled in multiple electorates or several times in the same electorate. That means that accurate figures for electoral turnout are impossible to determine, and other figures may not be reliable.

### Electoral redistribution

The 1977 electoral redistribution was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established by an amendment to the Representation Act in 1886, initiated by Muldoon's National Government. That a large number of people failed to fill out an electoral re-registration card had little practical effect for the electoral redistribution for people on the general roll, but it transferred Māori to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, that resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the North Island.
The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, and 22 electorates were abolished (see list below), and 27 electorates were newly created or re-established. In the North Island, fifteen electorates were newly created (Albany, East Cape, Eastern Hutt, Helensville, Horowhenua, Hunua, Kaimai, Matamata, Ōhāriu, Papakura, Papatoetoe, Pencarrow, Rangiriri, Tarawera, and Te Atatū) and six electorates were re-created (Bay of Islands, Kaipara, Taranaki, Waipa, Waitakere, and Waitotara). In the South Island, two electorates were newly created (Otago and Yaldhurst) and four electorates were re-created (Ashburton, Fendalton, Selwyn, and Waitaki). The changes came into effect for the 1978 election.

## The election

The election was held on 25 November. There were 2,489,510 people officially registered to vote in the elections, making the election the first one in which there were more than two million registered voters. However, the electoral roll in 1978 was significantly out of date and contained numerous duplicate entries. The cause of this confusion was a major redistribution of electoral boundaries, which had been implemented the year before. The actual number of potential voters is estimated to have been about 2,100,000, and actual turnout is estimated to have been about 80% (as compared to the official turnout of only 68.70%), slightly lower than the turnout for the previous election.

## Summary of results

The 1978 election saw the National Party win fifty-one seats in parliament, a majority of several seats. This allowed it to retain power. The Labour Party won forty seats. The Social Credit Party retained the Rangitikei seat, which it had won in a by-election shortly before the election. No other parties won seats, and there were no successful independent candidates.
While National won a majority of seats in parliament, it did not actually win a majority of the vote. Labour received the highest number of votes, winning slightly more than forty percent. National, by contrast, won slightly less than forty percent. Social Credit, despite winning only one seat, actually received around sixteen percent of the vote. The election night result had National with more seats, but many seats had small majorities and it was conceivable that if special votes overturned enough electorates Labour could form a government. Ultimately this did not eventuate however.
While the Hunua electorate was initially won by Malcolm Douglas (Labour), the result was overturned by the High Court and Winston Peters (National) became the MP for Hunua.

## Detailed results
### Party totals

Change :
| National | 92 | 680,991 | 39.82 | 51 | -4 |
| Labour | 92 | 691,076 | 40.41 | 40 | +8 |
| Social Credit | 92 | 274,756 | 16.07 | 1 | +1 |
| Values | 92 | 41,220 | 2.41 | 0 | ±0 |
| National Socialist | 1 | 22 | 0.00 | - | ±0 |
| Independent | 53 | 22,130 | 1.29 | 0 | ±0 |
| Total | 421 | 1,710,173 | | 92 | +5 |

### Votes summary

Popular Vote
Labour
40.41%
National
39.82%
Social Credit
16.07%
Values
2.41%
Independents
1.29% :
Parliament seats
National
55.43%
Labour
43.48%
Social Credit
1.09% :

## Results by electorate

The tables below shows the results of the 1978 general election:
Key
National  Labour  Social Credit
Electorate results for the 1978 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Albany | New electorate | New electorate | | Don McKinnon | 1,159 | David Rankin |
| Ashburton | New electorate | New electorate | | Rob Talbot | 3.005 | John Srhoy |
| Auckland Central | | Richard Prebble | Richard Prebble | Richard Prebble | 5,284 | Maire Cole |
| Avon | | Mary Batchelor | Mary Batchelor | Mary Batchelor | 8,215 | Tom George |
| Awarua | | Rex Austin | Rex Austin | Rex Austin | 1,450 | Bill Devine |
| Bay of Islands | New electorate | New electorate | | Neill Austin | 1,682 | William Guy McPherson |
| Birkenhead | | Jim McLay | Jim McLay | Jim McLay | 2,534 | Rex Stanton |
| Christchurch Central | | Bruce Barclay | Bruce Barclay | Bruce Barclay | 5,947 | Gwen Clucas |
| Clutha | | Peter Gordon | | Robin Gray | 1,427 | F A O'Connell |
| Dunedin Central | | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | 3,413 | M B Ablett |
| Dunedin North | | Richard Walls | | Stan Rodger | 2,850 | Richard Walls |
| East Cape | New electorate | New electorate | | Duncan MacIntyre | 2,533 | O P Drabble |
| East Coast Bays | | Frank Gill | Frank Gill | Frank Gill | 1,566 | Colleen Hicks |
| Eastern Hutt | New electorate | New electorate | | Trevor Young | 5,373 | Rosemary Young |
| Eden | | Aussie Malcolm | Aussie Malcolm | Aussie Malcolm | 648 | John Hinchcliff |
| Fendalton | New electorate | New electorate | | Eric Holland | 1,956 | David Close |
| Gisborne | | Bob Bell | Bob Bell | Bob Bell | 213 | Allan Wallbank |
| Hamilton East | | Ian Shearer | Ian Shearer | Ian Shearer | 1,361 | Lois Welch |
| Hamilton West | | Mike Minogue | Mike Minogue | Mike Minogue | 1,006 | Dorothy Jelicich |
| Hastings | | Bob Fenton | | David Butcher | 334 | Bob Fenton |
| Hauraki | New electorate | New electorate | | Leo Schultz | 2,019 | Gordon Miller |
| Hawkes Bay | | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | 1,908 | Mike Cullen |
| Helensville | New electorate | New electorate | | Dail Jones | 1,199 | Jack Elder |
| Heretaunga | | Ron Bailey | Ron Bailey | Ron Bailey | 2,744 | John Ward |
| Horowhenua | New electorate | New electorate | | Geoff Thompson | 744 | Alan Charles Eyles |
| Hunua | New electorate | New electorate | | Winston Peters | 192 | Malcolm Douglas |
| Invercargill | | Norman Jones | Norman Jones | Norman Jones | 256 | Aubrey Begg |
| Island Bay | | Gerald O'Brien | | Frank O'Flynn | 650 | Bill Nathan |
| Kaimai | New electorate | New electorate | | Bruce Townshend | 3,476 | Douglas Conway |
| Kaipara | New electorate | New electorate | | Peter Wilkinson | 520 | Nevern McConachy |
| Kapiti | | Barry Brill | Barry Brill | Barry Brill | 23 | Margaret Shields |
| King Country | | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | 2,770 | Leo Menefy |
| Lyttelton | | Colleen Dewe | | Ann Hercus | 1,423 | Colleen Dewe |
| Manawatu | | Allan McCready | | Michael Cox | 2,913 | Trevor de Cleene |
| Mangere | | David Lange | David Lange | David Lange | 6,263 | Peter Saunders |
| Manurewa | | Merv Wellington | | Roger Douglas | 2,467 | Peter O'Brien |
| Marlborough | | Ed Latter | | Doug Kidd | 323 | Ian Brooks |
| Matamata | New electorate | New electorate | | Jack Luxton | 4,407 | David Mawdsley |
| Miramar | | Bill Young | Bill Young | Bill Young | 315 | Bill Jeffries |
| Mt Albert | | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | 2,861 | Frank Ryan |
| Napier | | Gordon Christie | Gordon Christie | Gordon Christie | 2,927 | Kevin Rose |
| Nelson | | Mel Courtney | Mel Courtney | Mel Courtney | 2,239 | Peter Malone |
| New Lynn | | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | 4,390 | Jacky Bridges |
| New Plymouth | | Tony Friedlander | Tony Friedlander | Tony Friedlander | 112 | Dennis Duggan |
| North Shore | | George Gair | George Gair | George Gair | 4,650 | Gene Leckey |
| Onehunga | | Frank Rogers | Frank Rogers | Frank Rogers | 1,417 | Barrie Hutchinson |
| Ohariu | New electorate | New electorate | | Hugh Templeton | 1,958 | Helene Ritchie |
| Otago | New electorate | New electorate | | Warren Cooper | 3,722 | R J Rutherford |
| Otahuhu | | Bob Tizard | Bob Tizard | Bob Tizard | 4,762 | Ray Ah Chee |
| Pahiatua | | John Falloon | John Falloon | John Falloon | 6,675 | P M A Hills |
| Pakuranga | | Gavin Downie | | Pat Hunt | 2,111 | Elsa Smith |
| Palmerston North | | John Lithgow | | Joe Walding | 2,736 | John Lithgow |
| Papakura | New electorate | New electorate | | Merv Wellington | 3,622 | Geoff Braybrooke |
| Papanui | | Bert Walker | | Mike Moore | 3,289 | Bert Walker |
| Papatoetoe | New electorate | New electorate | | Eddie Isbey | 1,511 | Colin Bidois |
| Pencarrow | New electorate | New electorate | | Fraser Colman | 3,649 | Brett Newell |
| Porirua | | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | 3,657 | Alan Perry |
| Rangiora | | Derek Quigley | Derek Quigley | Derek Quigley | 1,145 | Don McKenzie |
| Rangiriri | New electorate | New electorate | | Bill Birch | 2,276 | Robert Frederick McKee |
| Rangitikei | | Bruce Beetham | Bruce Beetham | Bruce Beetham | 2,853 | Les Gandar |
| Remuera | | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | 5,771 | Lee Goffin |
| Roskill | | Arthur Faulkner | Arthur Faulkner | Arthur Faulkner | 1,671 | John Banks |
| Rotorua | | Harry Lapwood | | Paul East | 1,020 | Peter Tapsell |
| St Albans | | Roger Drayton | | David Caygill | 3,679 | Neil Russell |
| St Kilda | | Bill Fraser | Bill Fraser | Bill Fraser | 2,959 | Graeme Laing |
| Selwyn | New electorate | New electorate | | Colin McLachlan | 1,232 | Bill Woods |
| Sydenham | | John Kirk | John Kirk | John Kirk | 7,040 | Ian Wilson |
| Tamaki | | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | 6,310 | Audie Cooke-Pennefather |
| Taranaki | New electorate | New electorate | | David Thomson | 4,573 | K A Tracey |
| Tarawera | New electorate | New electorate | | Ian Mclean | 2,022 | JJ Stewart |
| Tasman | | Bill Rowling | Bill Rowling | Bill Rowling | 1,794 | Ruth Richardson |
| Taupo | | Ray La Varis | | Jack Ridley | 609 | Lesley A. Miller |
| Tauranga | | Keith Allen | Keith Allen | Keith Allen | 3,318 | Paul Hills |
| Te Atatu | | Michael Bassett | Michael Bassett | Michael Bassett | 2,819 | W R Cross |
| Timaru | | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | 2,183 | Bill Penno |
| Waikato | | Lance Adams-Schneider | Lance Adams-Schneider | Lance Adams-Schneider | 5,063 | Brian West |
| Waipa | New electorate | New electorate | | Marilyn Waring | 4,906 | John Kilbride |
| Wairarapa | | Ben Couch | Ben Couch | Ben Couch | 837 | Allan Levett |
| Waitakere | New electorate | New electorate | | Ralph Maxwell | 2,016 | Bill Haresnape |
| Waitaki | New electorate | New electorate | | Jonathan Elworthy | 1,315 | Bill Laney |
| Waitotara | New electorate | New electorate | | Venn Young | 4,109 | Edith Charteris |
| Wallace | | Brian Talboys | Brian Talboys | Brian Talboys | 5,324 | Jim Thomson |
| Wanganui | | Russell Marshall | Russell Marshall | Russell Marshall | 3,102 | John Rowan |
| Wellington Central | | Ken Comber | Ken Comber | Ken Comber | 916 | Neville Pickering |
| West Coast | | Paddy Blanchfield | | Kerry Burke | 5,647 | George Ferguson |
| Western Hutt | | Bill Lambert | | John Terris | 168 | Bill Lambert |
| Whangarei | | John Elliott | John Elliott | John Elliott | 1,176 | Colin Moyle |
| Yaldhurst | New electorate | New electorate | | Mick Connelly | 1,638 | David Watson |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | Paraone Reweti | Paraone Reweti | Paraone Reweti | 7,400 | Monty Searancke |
| Northern Maori | | Matiu Rata | Matiu Rata | Matiu Rata | 4,844 | Joe Toia |
| Southern Maori | | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | 9,180 | Charles Piharo Maitai |
| Western Maori | | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | 9,719 | Gordon Pihema |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ These are the survey dates of the poll, or if the survey dates are not stated, the date the poll was released.
* ↑ The election of Malcolm Douglas in Hunua was overturned by the Electoral Court on 24 May 1979
* ↑ Gerald O'Brien came third standing as Independent Labour
* ↑ Margaret Shields had initially been declared the winner but she lost 83 votes in a magisterial recount

### Summary of changes

For details about the winners of each individual electorate, see the article on the 39th Parliament.
* Electoral redistributions:
** A major reconfiguration of electorates and their boundaries occurred in 1977. This resulted in twenty-two electorates being dissolved and twenty-seven new electorates being formed (a net gain of five electorates).
** The seats of Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Egmont, Franklin, Grey Lynn, Henderson, Hobson, Hutt, Karori, Manukau, Oamaru, Petone, Piako, Raglan, Rakaia, Riccarton, Rodney, Ruahine, South Canterbury, Stratford, Waitemata, and Wigram ceased to exist.
** The seats of Albany, Ashburton, Bay of Islands, East Cape, Eastern Hutt, Fendalton, Hauraki, Helensville, Horowhenua, Hunua, Kaimai, Kaipara, Matamata, Ohariu, Papakura, Papatoetoe, Pencarrow, Rangiriri, Selwyn, Taranaki, Tarawera, Te Atatu, Waipa, Waitakere, Waitaki, Waitotara, and Yaldhurst came into being.
* Seats captured:
** By Labour: Hastings, Lyttelton, Manurewa, Palmerston North, Papanui, Taupo, and Western Hutt were captured from National.
** By National: None
** By Social Credit: None
* Seats transferred from departing MPs to new MPs:
** The seats of Clutha, Manawatu, Marlborough, Pakuranga, and Rotorua, all held by departing National MPs, were won by new National candidates.
** The seats of Dunedin North, Island Bay, St Albans, and West Coast, all held by departing Labour MPs, were won by new Labour candidates.