# 20th New Zealand Parliament

The 20th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1919 general election in December of that year.

## 1919 general election

The 1919 general election was held on Tuesday, 16 December in the Māori electorates and on Wednesday, 17 December in the general electorates, respectively. A total of 80 MPs were elected; 45 represented North Island electorates, 31 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates. 683,420 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 80.5%.

## Sessions

The 20th Parliament sat for four sessions (there were two sessions in 1921), and was prorogued on 30 November 1922.
| Session | Opened | Adjourned |
| first | 24 June 1920 | 11 November 1920 |
| second | 10 March 1921 | 22 March 1921 |
| third | 22 September 1921 | 11 February 1922 |
| fourth | 28 June 1922 | 31 October 1922 |

## Party standings
### Start of Parliament

| Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start |
| Reform Party | William Massey | 47 |
| Liberal Party | William MacDonald | 21 |
| Labour Party | Harry Holland | 8 |
| Independent | Independent | 4 |

### End of Parliament

| Party | Leader(s) | Seats at end |
| Reform Party | William Massey | 44 |
| Liberal Party | Thomas Wilford | 18 |
| Labour Party | Harry Holland | 9 |
| Independents | Independents | 7 |

## Ministries

The wartime coalition between the Reform Party and the Liberal Party had come to an end by August 1919. William Massey of the Reform Party had been the leader of the coalition, with Joseph Ward of the Liberal Party as the deputy. Ward left the coalition because it had become deeply unpopular with the population. Massey then formed the second Massey Ministry on 25 August 1919 and remained in power during the term of the 20th Parliament and beyond until his death on 10 May 1925.

## Initial composition of the 20th Parliament

The table below shows the results of the 1919 general election:
Key
| Reform | Reform | Liberal | Liberal | Labour | Labour | Liberal–Labour |
| Independent Liberal | Independent Liberal | Independent Liberal | Independent Labour | Independent Labour | Independent Labour | Independent | Independent | Independent |
Electorate results for the 1919 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Ashburton | | William Nosworthy | William Nosworthy | William Nosworthy | 1,493 | | William Dickie |
| Auckland Central | | Albert Glover | | Bill Parry | 786 | | Albert Glover |
| Auckland East | | Arthur Myers | Arthur Myers | Arthur Myers | 158 | | Clutha Mackenzie |
| Auckland West | | Charles Poole | | Michael Joseph Savage | 533 | | Charles Frederick Bennett |
| Avon | | George Russell | | Dan Sullivan | 1,648 | | George Russell |
| Awarua | | Joseph Ward | | John Hamilton | 757 | | Joseph Ward |
| Bay of Islands | | Vernon Reed | Vernon Reed | Vernon Reed | 1,195 | | St. Claire Jounneaux |
| Bay of Plenty | | William MacDonald | William MacDonald | William MacDonald | 1,234 | | Kenneth Williams |
| Bruce | | James Allen | James Allen | James Allen | 126 | | John Edie |
| Buller | | James Colvin | | Harry Holland | 1,003 | | Denis Quinlan O'Brien |
| Chalmers | | James Dickson | James Dickson | James Dickson | 883 | | John Gilchrist |
| Christchurch East | | Henry Thacker | Henry Thacker | Henry Thacker | 1,940 | | Hiram Hunter |
| Christchurch North | | Leonard Isitt | Leonard Isitt | Leonard Isitt | 2,403 | | Tim Armstrong |
| Christchurch South | | Harry Ell | | Ted Howard | 1,675 | | Henry Holland |
| Clutha | | Alexander Malcolm | Alexander Malcolm | Alexander Malcolm | 134 | | Robert Alexander Rodger |
| Dunedin Central | | Charles Statham | Charles Statham | Charles Statham | 497 | | Jim Munro |
| Dunedin North | | Andrew Walker | | Edward Kellett | 806 | | Andrew Walker |
| Dunedin South | | Thomas Sidey | Thomas Sidey | Thomas Sidey | 84 | | Tom Paul |
| Dunedin West | | William Downie Stewart | William Downie Stewart | William Downie Stewart | 2,421 | | John Arthur Brown |
| Eden | | James Parr | James Parr | James Parr | 1,854 | | Oscar McBrine |
| Egmont | | Charles Wilkinson | | Oswald Hawken | 191 | | David Lyon Abbott Astbury |
| Ellesmere | | Heaton Rhodes | Heaton Rhodes | Heaton Rhodes | 749 | | George Barclay |
| Franklin | | William Massey | William Massey | William Massey | 3,030 | | Joseph Rea |
| Gisborne | | James Carroll | | Douglas Lysnar | 373 | | James Carroll |
| Grey Lynn | | John Payne | | Fred Bartram | 481 | | Ellen Melville |
| Hawke's Bay | | John Findlay | | Hugh Campbell | 942 | | Gilbert McKay |
| Hurunui | | George Forbes | George Forbes | George Forbes | 667 | | John George Armstrong |
| Hutt | | Thomas Wilford | Thomas Wilford | Thomas Wilford | 1,005 | | David Pritchard |
| Invercargill | | Josiah Hanan | Josiah Hanan | Josiah Hanan | 1,403 | | John Archer |
| Kaiapoi | | David Buddo | | David Jones | 50 | | David Buddo |
| Kaipara | | Gordon Coates | Gordon Coates | Gordon Coates | 3,291 | | Alfred Gregory |
| Lyttelton | | James McCombs | James McCombs | James McCombs | 577 | | Robert Macartney |
| Manawatu | New electorate | New electorate | | Edward Newman | 866 | | Alfred Hillier |
| Manukau | | Frederic Lang | Frederic Lang | Frederic Lang | 2,508 | | Rex Mason |
| Marsden | | Francis Mander | Francis Mander | Francis Mander | 189 | | Alfred Murdoch |
| Masterton | | George Sykes | | George Sykes | 344 | | A C Holms |
| Mataura | | George Anderson | George Anderson | George Anderson | 1,336 | | David McDougall |
| Motueka | | Richard Hudson | Richard Hudson | Richard Hudson | 661 | | Percy Power |
| Napier | | Vigor Brown | Vigor Brown | Vigor Brown | 54 | | Frederick Charles Evans |
| Nelson | | Thomas Field | | Harry Atmore | 510 | | Thomas Field |
| Oamaru | | Ernest Lee | Ernest Lee | Ernest Lee | 276 | | John MacPherson |
| Ohinemuri | | Hugh Poland | Hugh Poland | Hugh Poland | 555 | | J Clark |
| Oroua | | David Guthrie | David Guthrie | David Guthrie | 1,843 | | E J Tunnicliffe |
| Otaki | | William Hughes Field | William Hughes Field | William Hughes Field | 1,232 | | James McKenzie |
| Pahiatua | | Harold Smith | | Archibald McNicol | 170 | | Robert Ross |
| Palmerston | | Jimmy Nash | Jimmy Nash | Jimmy Nash | 1,004 | | Moses Ayrton |
| Parnell | | James Samuel Dickson | James Samuel Dickson | James Samuel Dickson | 3,419 | | Tom Bloodworth |
| Patea | | George Pearce | | Walter Powdrell | 255 | | William Morrison |
| Raglan | | Richard Bollard | Richard Bollard | Richard Bollard | 988 | | Bill Jordan |
| Rangitikei | | Edward Newman | | Billy Glenn | 635 | | F P Brady |
| Riccarton | | George Witty | George Witty | George Witty | 626 | | William Russell Devereux |
| Roskill | New electorate | New electorate | | Vivian Potter | 1,854 | | James Gunson |
| Rotorua | New electorate | New electorate | | Frank Hockly | 1,733 | | Malcolm Larney |
| Stratford | | John Hine | | Robert Masters | 61 | | John Hine |
| Taranaki | | Sydney George Smith | | Sydney George Smith | 1,023 | | George H. Buckeridge |
| Tauranga | | William Herries | William Herries | William Herries | 1,860 | | Benjamin Robbins |
| Temuka | | Charles Talbot | | Thomas Burnett | 31 | | Charles Talbot |
| Thames | | Thomas William Rhodes | Thomas William Rhodes | Thomas William Rhodes | 1,590 | | W J McCormick |
| Timaru | | James Craigie | | James Craigie | 1,519 | | Percy Vinnell |
| Waikato | | Alexander Young | Alexander Young | Alexander Young | 2,893 | | P H Watts |
| Waimarino | | Robert William Smith | Robert William Smith | Robert William Smith | 643 | | Frank Langstone |
| Waipawa | | George Hunter | George Hunter | George Hunter | 274 | | Albert Jull |
| Wairarapa | | J. T. Marryat Hornsby | | Alex McLeod | 540 | | J. T. Marryat Hornsby |
| Wairau | | Richard McCallum | Richard McCallum | Richard McCallum | 796 | | B J Cooke |
| Waitaki | | John Anstey | | John Bitchener | 472 | | John Anstey |
| Waitemata | | Alexander Harris | Alexander Harris | Alexander Harris | 1,419 | | Arthur Edwin Greenslade |
| Waitomo | New electorate | New electorate | | William Jennings | 377 | | K C Wilson |
| Wakatipu | | William Fraser | | James Horn | 801 | | Robert Scott |
| Wallace | | John Charles Thomson | | Adam Hamilton | 43 | | John Charles Thomson |
| Wanganui | | Bill Veitch | Bill Veitch | Bill Veitch | 1,703 | | William J. Cuttle |
| Wellington Central | | Peter Fraser | Peter Fraser | Peter Fraser | 1,056 | | Frederick Pirani |
| Wellington East | | Alfred Newman | Alfred Newman | Alfred Newman | 1,058 | | Alec Monteith |
| Wellington North | | John Luke | John Luke | John Luke | 1,065 | | H. Oakley Browne |
| Wellington South | | Bob Semple | | George Mitchell | 1,426 | | Bob Semple |
| Wellington Suburbs | | Robert Wright | Robert Wright | Robert Wright | 1,127 | | Alexander Croskery |
| Westland | | Tom Seddon | Tom Seddon | Tom Seddon | 1,497 | | James O'Brien |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | Āpirana Ngata | Āpirana Ngata | Āpirana Ngata | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Northern Maori | | Taurekareka Henare | Taurekareka Henare | Taurekareka Henare | 1,629 | | Nau Parone Kawiti |
| Southern Maori | | Hopere Uru | Hopere Uru | Hopere Uru | 207 | | Riki te Mairaki Taiaroa |
| Western Maori | | Māui Pōmare | Māui Pōmare | Māui Pōmare | 1,424 | | Ngarangi Katitia |

## By-elections during 20th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 20th Parliament.
| Electorate and by-election | Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner |
| Bruce | 1920 | 14 April | James Allen | Resignation | John Edie |
| Stratford | 1920 | 6 May | Robert Masters | Election declared void | Robert Masters |
| Bay of Plenty | 1920 | 30 September | William MacDonald | Death | Kenneth Williams |
| Patea | 1921 | 13 April | Walter Powdrell | Death | Edwin Dixon |
| Auckland East | 1921 | 2 November | Arthur Myers | Resignation | Clutha Mackenzie |
| Southern Maori | 1922 | 25 January | Hopere Uru | Death | Henare Uru |
| Dunedin North | 1922 | 21 June | Edward Kellett | Death | Jim Munro |