# 1959 Auckland City mayoral election

The 1959 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1959, elections were held for the Mayor of Auckland plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

## Background

High profile councillor Dove-Myer Robinson defeated incumbent Mayor Keith Buttle of the Citizens & Ratepayers ticket, who had not been opposed by Robinson and his United Independent colleagues in the 1957 contest. Campaigning as "Robbie", Robinson campaigned on an independent and populist platform. He charged Buttle with lethargy and the Citizens & Ratepayers councillors as being out of touch with Aucklanders and taking power for granted. Media coverage (both the Auckland Star and New Zealand Herald openly endorsing Buttle) cemented Robinson's image as an outsider battling the politics of vested interest, hallmarks that would define Robinson's style of campaigning and leadership for the rest of his life. The United Independents electoral ticket had merged with the Labour Party to campaign together under the Civic Reform banner and informally supported Robinson for the mayoralty.

## Mayoralty results

1959 Auckland mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Dove-Myer Robinson | 18,980 | 51.07 | |
| | Citizens & Ratepayers | Keith Buttle | 17,941 | 48.27 | −7.63 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 240 | 0.64 | +0.54 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,039 | 2.79 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,161 | 46.90 | |

## Councillor results

1959 Auckland local election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Civic Reform | Eric Armishaw | 19,762 | 53.17 | +19.22 |
| Civic Reform | Ken Cumberland | 19,335 | 52.03 | +18.94 |
| Civic Reform | Alfred Shone | 18,961 | 51.02 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Tom Bloodworth | 18,240 | 49.08 | +11.24 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Winifred Delugar | 17,840 | 48.00 | +9.88 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Max Tongue | 17,722 | 47.68 | +14.61 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Reg Savory | 17,667 | 47.54 | +11.79 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Fred Ambler | 17,335 | 46.64 | +7.79 |
| Civic Reform | Mary Dreaver | 16,658 | 44.82 | +1.78 |
| Civic Reform | Alex Dreaver | 16,582 | 44.62 | +7.78 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Bob Beechey | 16,498 | 44.39 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | John Dale | 16,434 | 44.22 | +13.19 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Geoffrey Myers | 16,300 | 43.86 | −12.63 |
| Civic Reform | George Forsyth | 16,160 | 43.48 | +9.07 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Fred Glasse | 16,077 | 43.26 | −12.03 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Charlie Passmore | 15,639 | 42.08 | |
| Civic Reform | James Neil Bradley | 15,574 | 41.90 | +4.27 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | George Russell Tutt | 15,552 | 41.85 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Harold Watts | 15,443 | 41.55 | +18.00 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Fred de Malmanche | 15,296 | 41.16 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Harold Parkinson | 15,165 | 40.80 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Norman Speer | 14,924 | 40.16 | |
| Civic Reform | Marion Kirk | 14,691 | 39.53 | |
| Civic Reform | Graeme Eric Booth | 14,690 | 39.53 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Rex Keith Blows | 14,637 | 39.38 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Eric Percy Salmon | 14,475 | 38.95 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | David George Falconer | 14,419 | 38.80 | |
| Civic Reform | Lionel Albert | 14,242 | 38.32 | +19.55 |
| Civic Reform | Charles Belton | 13,885 | 37.36 | |
| Civic Reform | Glassford Glover Walter Gray | 13,544 | 36.44 | +18.41 |
| Civic Reform | John Northey | 13,542 | 36.44 | −15.37 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Frank Sydney Bertrand | 13,438 | 36.16 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | John Procter Wildman | 13,429 | 36.13 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Harold Valentine Long | 13,256 | 35.67 | |
| Civic Reform | Frederick Johnston | 13,091 | 35.22 | +5.81 |
| Civic Reform | Howard Jeffereys | 12,576 | 33.84 | |
| Civic Reform | Norman Finch | 12,549 | 33.76 | +6.48 |
| Civic Reform | Isabella Stancliff | 12,523 | 33.69 | +2.61 |
| Civic Reform | Irene Margaret Offen | 12,387 | 33.33 | |
| Civic Reform | John Percival Eastmure | 12,384 | 33.32 | |
| Civic Reform | Robert Elsender | 11,907 | 32.04 | |
| Civic Reform | Dave Isbey | 11,242 | 30.25 | |
| Independent | Roy Turner | 5,069 | 13.64 | |
| Independent | Charles Fisher | 4,139 | 11.13 | −10.29 |
| Independent | Agnes Helen Dodd | 3,632 | 9.77 | −20.63 |
| Communist | Bill Andersen | 3,456 | 9.30 | +4.28 |
| Communist | George Jackson | 3,384 | 9.10 | |
| Communist | Donald McEwan | 2,888 | 7.77 | +3.06 |
| Independent | Albert Charles Marks | 2,812 | 7.56 | |
| Communist | Dick Wolf | 2,139 | 5.75 | |
| Communist | Ella Ayo | 2,128 | 5.72 | |
| Communist | Peter McAra | 1,544 | 4.15 | |