# 1981 New Zealand general election

The 1981 New Zealand general election, held on 28 November 1981, was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, but the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, won the largest share of the votes cast.
Social Credit also won over 20% of the vote – their best result ever – but received no new seats. This was also the highest ever vote a party other then Labour or National have ever received.
This was the second consecutive election in which National lost the popular vote to Labour. More electorates were rural and right-leaning than urban and progressive, and therefore National benefitted under the first-past-the-post electoral system. That the unpopular Muldoon was able to continue to govern was a major catalyst for the growing public desire to reform New Zealand's electoral system. This happened within fifteen years, when the 1996 election was the first to use mixed-member proportional representation.
Notable MPs first elected at this election include future Labour Party leader and mayor of Auckland Phil Goff, the first Māori Speaker of the House Peter Tapsell, future Finance Minister Michael Cullen, and future Prime Minister Helen Clark. Future Minister of Foreign Affairs and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters lost his seat of Hunua at this election to Colin Moyle of the Labour Party, whom Robert Muldoon had aggressively accused of being gay as part of a McCarthyist smear campaign in 1977.

## Background

Before the election, the National Party governed with 50 seats, while the opposition Labour Party held 40 seats. The Social Credit Party held two seats (one of which they took from National in a 1980 by-election). The National Party had won a landslide victory in the 1975 election, then lost ground in the 1978 election, but remained in government. The style of Robert Muldoon's leadership was growing increasingly unpopular, both with his party and with the public, and there had been an abortive leadership challenge by Brian Talboys in 1980. Some commentators believed that the 1981 election would mark an end to Muldoon's government.
The Labour Party was led by Bill Rowling, who had been leader of the party in the past two elections. While Rowling had performed poorly against Muldoon in 1975, and was generally viewed by the public as weak, he had gradually recovered a measure of public respect. In 1980, Rowling survived a leadership challenge by David Lange. In the 1978 election, Labour had won a plurality of the vote, but did not win a majority of the seats. Many believed that this time, Labour would manage to convert its support into seats, although that did prove not to be the case.
Not all of Muldoon's opponents gave their support to Rowling and the Labour Party, however. The small Social Credit Party, New Zealand's "third party", was enjoying strong support, although the first-past-the-post electoral system made it difficult for them to win seats. After the 1980 East Coast Bays by-election, Social Credit support rose as high as 30% in opinion polls, but then declined.
Some pundits have since claimed that the Springbok Tour increased votes for National in provincial electorates, despite the tour not being seen as a major election issue.

### MPs retiring in 1981

Five National MPs and seven Labour MPs intended to retire at the end of the 39th Parliament.
| Party | Name | Electorate | Term of office | Date announced |
| National | Eric Holland | Fendalton | 1967–81 | 17 March 1980 |
| National | Leo Schultz | Hauraki | 1969–81 | 22 April 1980 |
| National | Colin McLachlan | Selwyn | 1966–81 | 1 April 1980 |
| National | Lance Adams-Schneider | Waikato | 1959–81 | 23 July 1980 |
| National | Brian Talboys | Wallace | 1957–81 | 9 December 1980 |
| Labour | Paraone Reweti | Eastern Maori | 1967–81 | 26 March 1981 |
| Labour | Ron Bailey | Heretaunga | 1960–81 | 12 December 1979 |
| Labour | Warren Freer | Mount Albert | 1947–81 | Before 17 May 1979 |
| Labour | Gordon Christie | Napier | 1966–81 | Before 17 May 1979 |
| Labour | Joe Walding | Palmerston North | 1967–75 1978–81 | 18 March 1981 |
| Labour | Arthur Faulkner | Roskill | 1957–81 | 20 February 1981 |
| Labour | Bill Fraser | St Kilda | 1957–81 | 14 December 1979 |

## Election day

The election was held on 28 November. 2,034,747 people were registered to vote, and 91.4% turned out. That was a markedly higher turnout than recorded for the previous election, but as the official statistics for that election are regarded as highly misleading, the comparison is probably not valid. It is likely that turnout in the 1981 election was about the same as in the election before it.

## Summary of results

The 1981 election saw the National Party win 47 of the 92 seats in parliament, a drop of three from before the election (National lost Hunua, Kapiti, Miramar and Wellington Central but won Taupo). This meant that National kept its majority by only a single seat, which became highly problematic over the next parliamentary term. The Labour Party won 43 seats, a gain of three (Labour won Hunua, Kapiti, Miramar and Wellington Central but lost Taupo). The Social Credit Party managed to retain its two seats, East Coast Bays and Rangitikei. No party initially held a majority until a recount flipped the seat of Gisborne from Labour to National, which gave National a working majority of one.
For the second election in a row, Labour won more votes than National, but fewer seats, allowing National to retain government despite not winning the popular vote. Social Credit won more than 20% of the popular vote but only two seats. This result, and that of 1978, contributed to New Zealand adopting the Mixed Member Proportional system of proportional representation in the 1990s.

## Detailed results
### Party totals

Election results :
| Party | Party | Candidates | Total votes | Percentage | Seats won |
| | National | 92 | 698,508 | 38.77 | 47 |
| | Labour | 92 | 702,630 | 39.01 | 43 |
| | Social Credit | 92 | 372,056 | 20.65 | 2 |
| | Mana Motuhake | 4 | 8,332 | 0.46 | - |
| | Values | 17 | 3,460 | 0.19 | - |
| | Independents | 68 | 17,897 | 0.98 | - |
| | Others | 39 | 5,096 | 0.28 | - |
| Total | Total | 338 | 1,801,303 | | 92 |

### Votes summary

Popular vote
Labour
39.01%
National
38.77%
Social Credit
20.65%
Mana Motuhake
0.46%
Values
0.19%
Independents
0.98%
Others
0.28% :
Parliament seats
National
51.09%
Labour
46.74%
Social Credit
2.17% :

### Individual electorate results

The tables below shows the results of the 1981 general election:
Key
National  Labour  Social Credit  Mana Motuhake  Independent
Electorate results for the 1981 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Albany | Don McKinnon | Don McKinnon | Don McKinnon | 1,964 | Bryan Mockridge |
| Ashburton | Rob Talbot | Rob Talbot | Rob Talbot | 3,655 | John Srhoy |
| Auckland Central | Richard Prebble | Richard Prebble | Richard Prebble | 6,614 | Dorice Reid |
| Avon | Mary Batchelor | Mary Batchelor | Mary Batchelor | 7,820 | Colin McNicholl |
| Awarua | Rex Austin | Rex Austin | Rex Austin | 2,341 | Dick Fitzgerald |
| Bay of Islands | Neill Austin | Neill Austin | Neill Austin | 864 | Les Hunter |
| Birkenhead | Jim McLay | Jim McLay | Jim McLay | 2,104 | Bill Smith |
| Christchurch Central | Geoffrey Palmer | Geoffrey Palmer | Geoffrey Palmer | 7,028 | Ian Wilson |
| Clutha | Robin Gray | Robin Gray | Robin Gray | 661 | Clive Matthewson |
| Dunedin Central | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | 4,169 | Nancy Ruth King |
| Dunedin North | Stan Rodger | Stan Rodger | Stan Rodger | 4,733 | Des Bleach |
| East Cape | Duncan MacIntyre | Duncan MacIntyre | Duncan MacIntyre | 1,964 | Peter Dey |
| East Coast Bays | Gary Knapp | Gary Knapp | Gary Knapp | 758 | Don Brash |
| Eastern Hutt | Trevor Young | Trevor Young | Trevor Young | 5.011 | Alex Duthie |
| Eden | Aussie Malcolm | Aussie Malcolm | Aussie Malcolm | 117 | Ian Scott |
| Fendalton | Eric Holland | | Philip Burdon | 1,158 | David Close |
| Gisborne | Bob Bell | Bob Bell | Bob Bell | 150 | Allan Wallbank |
| Hamilton East | Ian Shearer | Ian Shearer | Ian Shearer | 1,188 | Lois Welch |
| Hamilton West | Mike Minogue | Mike Minogue | Mike Minogue | 1,477 | Paddy McCaffrey |
| Hastings | David Butcher | David Butcher | David Butcher | 1,845 | Hamish Kynoch |
| Hauraki | Leo Schultz | | Graeme Lee | 1,787 | Gordon Miller |
| Hawkes Bay | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | 2,430 | Mike Cullen |
| Helensville | Dail Jones | Dail Jones | Dail Jones | 216 | Jack Elder |
| Heretaunga | Ron Bailey | | Bill Jeffries | 2,233 | Ronald Palmer |
| Horowhenua | Geoff Thompson | Geoff Thompson | Geoff Thompson | 876 | David Page |
| Hunua | Winston Peters | | Colin Moyle | 996 | Winston Peters |
| Invercargill | Norman Jones | Norman Jones | Norman Jones | 1,592 | Dougal Soper |
| Island Bay | Frank O'Flynn | Frank O'Flynn | Frank O'Flynn | 3,938 | Doug Catley |
| Kaimai | Bruce Townshend | Bruce Townshend | Bruce Townshend | 5,146 | Douglas Conway |
| Kaipara | Peter Wilkinson | Peter Wilkinson | Peter Wilkinson | 1,029 | Nevern Connachy |
| Kapiti | Barry Brill | | Margaret Shields | 495 | Barry Brill |
| King Country | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | 2,158 | Derek Mason |
| Lyttelton | Ann Hercus | Ann Hercus | Ann Hercus | 3,892 | Simon Stamers-Smith |
| Manawatu | Michael Cox | Michael Cox | Michael Cox | 2,913 | Dennis Kessell |
| Mangere | David Lange | David Lange | David Lange | 5,806 | John Pettit |
| Manurewa | Roger Douglas | Roger Douglas | Roger Douglas | 2,815 | Keith Ralph |
| Marlborough | Doug Kidd | Doug Kidd | Doug Kidd | 1,643 | Graeme Macann |
| Matamata | Jack Luxton | Jack Luxton | Jack Luxton | 3,460 | David Mawdsley |
| Miramar | Bill Young | | Peter Neilson | 649 | Bill Young |
| Mount Albert | Warren Freer | | Helen Clark | 3,907 | Warren W. Moyes |
| Napier | Gordon Christie | | Geoff Braybrooke | 3,009 | Kevin Rose |
| Nelson | Mel Courtney | | Philip Woollaston | 698 | Mel Courtney |
| New Lynn | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | 4,874 | Ron Hanson |
| New Plymouth | Tony Friedlander | Tony Friedlander | Tony Friedlander | 1,567 | Dennis Duggan |
| North Shore | George Gair | George Gair | George Gair | 3,969 | Peter Chambers |
| Ohariu | Hugh Templeton | Hugh Templeton | Hugh Templeton | 1,567 | Norman Ely |
| Onehunga | Fred Gerbic | Fred Gerbic | Fred Gerbic | 2,012 | Sue Wood |
| Otago | Warren Cooper | Warren Cooper | Warren Cooper | 4,893 | Bryan Griffiths |
| Otahuhu | Bob Tizard | Bob Tizard | Bob Tizard | 5,164 | Stuart McDowell |
| Pahiatua | John Falloon | John Falloon | John Falloon | 7,569 | Bill Sutton |
| Pakuranga | Pat Hunt | Pat Hunt | Pat Hunt | 783 | Neil Morrison |
| Palmerston North | Joe Walding | | Trevor de Cleene | 2,110 | Brian Elwood |
| Papakura | Merv Wellington | Merv Wellington | Merv Wellington | 3,215 | John Cheeseman |
| Papanui | Mike Moore | Mike Moore | Mike Moore | 4,409 | Brian Keeley |
| Papatoetoe | Eddie Isbey | Eddie Isbey | Eddie Isbey | 1,689 | Roy McKeen |
| Pencarrow | Fraser Colman | Fraser Colman | Fraser Colman | 4,065 | Willard Amaru |
| Porirua | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | 3,639 | Estelle Brittain |
| Rangiora | Derek Quigley | Derek Quigley | Derek Quigley | 932 | Chris Hayward |
| Rangiriri | Bill Birch | Bill Birch | Bill Birch | 3,004 | Roy Hayward |
| Rangitikei | Bruce Beetham | Bruce Beetham | Bruce Beetham | 2,376 | Paul Bardwell |
| Remuera | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | 5,105 | Judith Tizard |
| Roskill | Arthur Faulkner | | Phil Goff | 2,525 | Cheryl Parsons |
| Rotorua | Paul East | Paul East | Paul East | 1,544 | Johnny W Lepper |
| St Albans | David Caygill | David Caygill | David Caygill | 4,926 | Jim Baker |
| St Kilda | Bill Fraser | | Michael Cullen | 3,579 | Stuart Clark |
| Selwyn | Colin McLachlan | | Ruth Richardson | 2,129 | Bill Woods |
| Sydenham | John Kirk | John Kirk | John Kirk | 5,594 | Richard Bach |
| Tamaki | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | 5,153 | Richard Northey |
| Taranaki | David Thomson | David Thomson | David Thomson | 4,470 | Brian Heilihy |
| Tarawera | Ian McLean | Ian McLean | Ian McLean | 2,442 | Noel Scott |
| Tasman | Bill Rowling | Bill Rowling | Bill Rowling | 2,246 | Ted Krammer |
| Taupo | Jack Ridley | | Roger McClay | 36 | Jack Ridley |
| Tauranga | Keith Allen | Keith Allen | Keith Allen | 2,232 | Paul Hills |
| Te Atatu | Michael Bassett | Michael Bassett | Michael Bassett | 3,330 | Stella Noble |
| Timaru | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | 1,850 | Jane Coughlan |
| Waikato | Lance Adams-Schneider | | Simon Upton | 4,661 | Noel Johnston |
| Waipa | Marilyn Waring | Marilyn Waring | Marilyn Waring | 2,768 | John Kilbride |
| Wairarapa | Ben Couch | Ben Couch | Ben Couch | 1,546 | Tom Gemmell |
| Waitakere | Ralph Maxwell | Ralph Maxwell | Ralph Maxwell | 2,883 | Martin Gummer |
| Waitaki | Jonathan Elworthy | Jonathan Elworthy | Jonathan Elworthy | 305 | Jim Sutton |
| Waitotara | Venn Young | Venn Young | Venn Young | 2,784 | Sam Gray |
| Wallace | Brian Talboys | | Derek Angus | 6,558 | Owen Horton |
| Wanganui | Russell Marshall | Russell Marshall | Russell Marshall | 1,668 | Terry Heffernan |
| Wellington Central | Ken Comber | | Fran Wilde | 1,283 | Ken Comber |
| West Coast | Kerry Burke | Kerry Burke | Kerry Burke | 4,406 | Doug Truman |
| Western Hutt | John Terris | John Terris | John Terris | 1,420 | John Tanner |
| Whangarei | John Elliott | | John Banks | 1,743 | Maurice Penney |
| Yaldhurst | Mick Connelly | Mick Connelly | Mick Connelly | 1,962 | Margaret Murray |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | Paraone Reweti | | Peter Tapsell | 6,232 | Albert Tahana |
| Northern Maori | Bruce Gregory | Bruce Gregory | Bruce Gregory | 3,541 | Matiu Rata |
| Southern Maori | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | 8,665 | Amster Reedy |
| Western Maori | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | 8,624 | Eva Rickard |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Wallbank was first on election night for Gisborne, but lost on a recount.
* ↑ Courtney had withdrawn from the Labour caucus in March 1981.
* ↑ McClay was declared elected by the High Court after an electoral petition.

### Summary of changes

* The seats of Hunua, Kapiti, Miramar and Wellington Central were won from incumbent National MPs by Labour challengers. The challengers in question were Colin Moyle, Margaret Shields, Peter Neilson and Fran Wilde, respectively. The defeated incumbents were Winston Peters, Barry Brill, Bill Young and Ken Comber, respectively.
* The seat of Taupo was won from the incumbent Labour MP by a National challenger. The challenger was Roger McClay and the defeated incumbent was Jack Ridley.
* The seats of Heretaunga, Mt. Albert, Napier, Palmerston North, Roskill, St. Kilda and Northern Maori passed from incumbent Labour MPs to new Labour MPs.
* In Nelson, Mel Courtney achieved the best result by an Independent candidate in a New Zealand election in nearly forty years.
* The seats of Fendalton, Hauraki, Selwyn and Whangarei passed from incumbent National MPs to new National MPs. Two of these changes were the result of MPs retiring, but two (in Selwyn and Whangarei) were the result of controversial challenges to the re-selection of the incumbents. In Selwyn, Ruth Richardson successfully challenged the re-nomination of incumbent Colin McLachlan, and in Whangarei, John Banks successfully challenged the re-nomination of incumbent John Elliott.