# 1971 Auckland City mayoral election

The 1971 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1971, 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

Incumbent Mayor Dove-Myer Robinson was re-elected with an overwhelming majority with an absence of a challenger from either the Citizens & Ratepayers Association's ticket or the Labour Party. Despite deciding to run full tickets for the city council and regional authority the Auckland regional council of the Labour Party resolved to support Robinson for mayor as it had in 1968 to prevent the possibility of a conservative mayor being elected. Despite opposing Robinson's rapid rail proposals the Civic Action Party did not contest the election against him. Robinson's closest polling opponent was Paul Wedderspoon a university student, who campaigned as an independent on a socialist platform.

## Mayoralty results

1971 Auckland mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Dove-Myer Robinson | 27,417 | 90.35 | +32.82 |
| | Independent | Paul Wedderspoon | 1,521 | 5.01 | |
| | Socialist Action | Michael Goodger | 1,405 | 4.63 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25,896 | 85.34 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,343 | 36.27 | −8.87 |

## Councillor results

1971 Auckland City Council election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Lincoln Laidlaw | 18,491 | 60.93 | +1.15 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Winifred Delugar | 16,861 | 55.56 | −3.79 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Lindsay Adams | 16,708 | 55.06 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Max Tongue | 16,656 | 54.89 | −1.83 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Arthur Kinsella | 16,404 | 54.06 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | John Dale | 16,262 | 53.59 | −1.43 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Eric Salmon | 16,230 | 53.48 | +5.47 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Mel Tronson | 15,963 | 52.60 | +3.89 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Harold Watts | 15,896 | 52.38 | +0.89 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Wint Holland | 15,690 | 51.70 | +3.18 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Harry Dansey | 15,581 | 51.34 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Colin Kay | 15,125 | 49.84 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Lindo Ferguson | 15,007 | 49.45 | +4.49 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Jolyon Firth | 14,807 | 48.79 | +3.83 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Ian McKinnon | 14,575 | 48.03 | −3.31 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | John Strevens | 14,508 | 47.81 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Alan Alcorn | 14,456 | 47.64 | +3.02 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Bill Clark | 13,995 | 46.12 | +1.50 |
| Labour | Michael Bassett | 13,769 | 45.37 | |
| Labour | Catherine Tizard | 13,682 | 45.09 | |
| Labour | Alex Dreaver | 13,428 | 44.25 | +1.39 |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Roy Walker | 13,331 | 43.93 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Peter Grayburn | 13,058 | 43.03 | |
| Citizens & Ratepayers | Ray La Varis | 12,640 | 41.65 | |
| Labour | Jim Anderton | 11,292 | 37.21 | |
| Independent | Fred Ambler | 10,715 | 35.31 | −11.88 |
| Labour | Sue Kedgley | 10,341 | 34.08 | |
| Labour | Tom Paki | 9,824 | 32.37 | |
| Labour | Richard Northey | 9,737 | 32.08 | +6.47 |
| Labour | Maureen Dorothy Gibbons | 9,633 | 31.74 | |
| Labour | Nancy Cocks | 9,218 | 30.37 | |
| Labour | John Currie | 9,134 | 30.10 | |
| Labour | Michael Roger Stenson | 8,821 | 29.07 | |
| Labour | Roderick Murray Carter | 8,724 | 28.75 | |
| Labour | Betty Wark | 8,659 | 28.53 | |
| Labour | Rata Shepherd | 8,529 | 28.10 | |
| Labour | Frederick Atiga | 8,458 | 27.87 | |
| Labour | Brian Robert Lythe | 8,403 | 27.69 | |
| Labour | Graeme Smith | 7,843 | 25.84 | |
| Labour | Marion McQuoid | 7,453 | 24.56 | |
| Labour | Donald Eric Wackrow | 7,322 | 24.13 | |
| Labour | David Pudney | 7,165 | 23.61 | |
| Labour | Leo Barry Smith | 7,133 | 23.50 | |
| Independent | David Dodds | 6,885 | 22.69 | |
| Independent | Paul Wedderspoon | 4,939 | 16.27 | |
| Socialist Unity | Bill Andersen | 3,579 | 11.79 | −2.51 |
| Independent | Gary Gotlieb | 3,392 | 11.17 | |
| Socialist Unity | George Jackson | 2,515 | 8.28 | −5.54 |
| Independent | Walter Hensley | 2,110 | 6.95 | |