# 1953 Wellington City mayoral election

The 1953 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1953, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

## Campaign

The mayoral contest was essentially a rematch from three years previously with incumbent mayor Robert Macalister opposed by councillor Frank Kitts of the Labour Party. A third candidate, Julius Hyde, stood as an independent campaigning on his opposition to the construction of an international airport in Wellington.
A major talking point in the lead up to the election was the potential of a clash with the 1953 Royal Tour. There were proposals to postpone local elections until early 1954 over fears of reduced turnout due to a conflicted schedule. The proposals were considered by the Minister of Internal Affairs William Bodkin, who ultimately decided against it.

## Mayoralty results

1953 Wellington mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Citizens' | Robert Macalister | 21,809 | 48.78 | −3.24 |
| | Labour | Frank Kitts | 20,094 | 44.95 | −1.85 |
| | Independent | Julius Hyde | 2,410 | 5.39 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 387 | 0.86 | −0.32 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,715 | 3.83 | −1.37 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,700 | 65.19 | +33.44 |

## Councillor results

1953 Wellington City Council election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Frank Kitts | 23,041 | 51.54 | +4.93 |
| Citizens' | Ken Luke | 22,993 | 51.43 | |
| Citizens' | Stewart Hardy | 21,323 | 47.70 | +4.81 |
| Citizens' | Bill Arcus | 20,731 | 46.37 | |
| Citizens' | Ernest Toop | 20,446 | 45.74 | −0.77 |
| Citizens' | Bob Archibald | 20,052 | 44.85 | |
| Citizens' | Barry Barton-Ginger | 19,880 | 44.47 | |
| Labour | James Roberts | 19,771 | 44.23 | +3.92 |
| Labour | John Churchill | 19,547 | 43.72 | +2.42 |
| Labour | Jim Bateman | 18,709 | 41.85 | +4.08 |
| Citizens' | Berkeley Dallard | 18,608 | 41.62 | +1.88 |
| Citizens' | Harry Nankervis | 18,089 | 40.46 | −2.41 |
| Citizens' | Denis McGrath | 17,442 | 39.02 | −0.98 |
| Labour | Jack Arthurs | 17,200 | 38.47 | −1.38 |
| Labour | Mervyn Castle | 16,995 | 38.02 | −12.42 |
| Citizens' | Harry Daysh | 16,950 | 37.91 | |
| Labour | George O'Leary | 16,643 | 37.23 | |
| Citizens' | William Birtwhistle | 16,386 | 36.65 | −4.99 |
| Labour | Jim Collins | 16,383 | 36.64 | |
| Labour | Ernie Langford | 16,255 | 36.36 | |
| Labour | Hugh Kelleher | 16,207 | 36.25 | |
| Labour | Frank O'Flynn | 16,192 | 36.22 | +0.69 |
| Labour | James Hickey | 15,917 | 35.60 | |
| Independent | Elizabeth Gilmer | 15,848 | 35.45 | −18.19 |
| Citizens' | William Stevens | 15,704 | 35.13 | −5.21 |
| Citizens' | Robert Burton | 15,640 | 34.98 | |
| Labour | William Sadd | 15,414 | 34.48 | −5.63 |
| Citizens' | Charles Treadwell | 15,392 | 34.43 | −12.97 |
| Labour | Ethel Harris | 15,209 | 34.02 | −4.03 |
| Citizens' | Gilbert Lawrence | 14,886 | 33.30 | |
| Labour | Edward Hodgkinson | 14,865 | 33.25 | |
| Independent | Gilbert MacLean | 13,267 | 29.68 | |
| Independent | William Bacon | 8,249 | 18.45 | −0.66 |
| Independent | James Duncan | 7,941 | 17.76 | |
| Independent | Leslie Austin | 6,612 | 14.79 | +0.05 |
| Independent | George Joseph | 6,519 | 14.58 | |
| Independent | Ernest Killick | 5,336 | 11.93 | |
| Communist | Donald Austin | 4,009 | 8.96 | |
| Communist | Connie Birchfield | 2,299 | 5.14 | +0.02 |
| Communist | William Hunter | 2,005 | 4.48 | −0.43 |
| Communist | Dorothy Stanton | 1,791 | 4.00 | +0.34 |
| Communist | Edward Harvey | 1,700 | 3.80 | |
| Communist | Kenneth Stanton | 1,504 | 3.54 | +0.33 |
| Communist | Sydney Smith | 1,369 | 3.06 | |
| Communist | Thomas Heptinstall | 1,134 | 2.53 | |
| Communist | Ray Nunes | 1,128 | 2.52 | −0.03 |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Hickey had been co-opted to the council in April 1953 from the Johnsonville Town Board