# 38th New Zealand Parliament

The 38th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1975 general election on 29 November of that year.

## 1975 general election

The 1975 general election was held on Saturday, 29 November. A total of 92 MPs were elected; 63 represented North Island electorates, 25 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates; this was an increase in the number of MPs by five since the 1972 election, and the gain was all for the North Island. 1,953,050 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 82.5%.

## Sessions

The 38th Parliament sat for four sessions (there were two sessions in 1977), and was prorogued on 7 October 1978.
| Session | Opened | Adjourned |
| first | 22 June 1976 | 14 December 1976 |
| second | 28 February 1977 | 28 February 1977 |
| third | 19 May 1977 | 16 December 1977 |
| fourth | 10 May 1978 | 6 October 1978 |

## Ministries

The Labour Party, which had come to power at the 1972 election, was defeated by the National Party at the 1975 election. Robert Muldoon formed the third National Government and led the Muldoon Ministry until National's defeat at the 1984 election.

## Overview of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 1975 election and at dissolution:
| Affiliation | Affiliation | Members | Members |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | At 1975 election | At dissolution |
| | National | 55 | 54 |
| 54 ||
| | Labour | 32 | 32 |
| | Social Credit | 0 | 1 |
| Government total | Government total | 32 | 33 |
| Total | Total | 87 | 87 |
| Working Government majority | Working Government majority | 23 | 21 |
Notes
* The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.

## Initial composition of the 38th Parliament

The table below shows the results of the 1975 general election:
Key
National  Labour  Social Credit
Electorate results for the 1975 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Auckland Central | Norman Douglas | | Richard Prebble | 289 | Murray McCully |
| Avon | Mary Batchelor | Mary Batchelor | Mary Batchelor | 5,503 | Tom George |
| Awarua | Aubrey Begg | | Rex Austin | 2,150 | Aubrey Begg |
| Bay of Plenty | Percy Allen | | Duncan MacIntyre | 3,960 | Robert Frederick McKee |
| Birkenhead | Norman King | | Jim McLay | 2,816 | Norman King |
| Christchurch Central | Bruce Barclay | Bruce Barclay | Bruce Barclay | 2,973 | Tim Armitage |
| Clutha | Peter Gordon | Peter Gordon | Peter Gordon | 4,735 | F A O'Connell |
| Coromandel | Leo Schultz | Leo Schultz | Leo Schultz | 4,724 | Raymond C. Bradley |
| Dunedin Central | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | Brian MacDonell | 1,428 | Ian Bright |
| Dunedin North | Ethel McMillan | | Richard Walls | 958 | Brian Arnold |
| East Coast Bays | Frank Gill | Frank Gill | Frank Gill | 5,594 | Rex Stanton |
| Eden | Mike Moore | | Aussie Malcolm | 1,331 | Mike Moore |
| Egmont | Venn Young | Venn Young | Venn Young | 4,120 | Dennis Duggan |
| Franklin | Bill Birch | Bill Birch | Bill Birch | 7,605 | Ron Ng-Waishing |
| Gisborne | Trevor Davey | | Bob Bell | 1,321 | Trevor Davey |
| Grey Lynn | Eddie Isbey | Eddie Isbey | Eddie Isbey | 2,839 | Jens Meder |
| Hamilton East | Rufus Rogers | | Ian Shearer | 2,246 | Rufus Rogers |
| Hamilton West | Dorothy Jelicich | | Mike Minogue | 2,069 | Dorothy Jelicich |
| Hastings | Richard Mayson | | Bob Fenton | 491 | Richard Mayson |
| Hawkes Bay | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | Richard Harrison | 3,805 | David Butcher |
| Henderson | Martyn Finlay | Martyn Finlay | Martyn Finlay | 401 | Warren Adams |
| Heretaunga | Ron Bailey | Ron Bailey | Ron Bailey | 336 | Julie Cameron |
| Hobson | Logan Sloane | | Neill Austin | 4,101 | Howard Manning |
| Hutt | Trevor Young | Trevor Young | Trevor Young | 1,019 | Brett Newell |
| Invercargill | J. B. Munro | | Norman Jones | 2,533 | J. B. Munro |
| Island Bay | Gerald O'Brien | Gerald O'Brien | Gerald O'Brien | 1,274 | Bill Nathan |
| Kapiti | Frank O'Flynn | | Barry Brill | 2,222 | Frank O'Flynn |
| Karori | Jack Marshall | | Hugh Templeton | 4,830 | Margaret Shields |
| King Country | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | Jim Bolger | 4,316 | Thomas Varnam |
| Lyttelton | Tom McGuigan | | Colleen Dewe | 999 | Tom McGuigan |
| Manawatu | Allan McCready | Allan McCready | Allan McCready | 2,918 | Alan Charles Eyles |
| Mangere | Colin Moyle | Colin Moyle | Colin Moyle | 1,604 | Stanley Lawson |
| Manukau | Roger Douglas | Roger Douglas | Roger Douglas | 678 | Brian Leaming |
| Manurewa | Phil Amos | | Merv Wellington | 1,358 | Phil Amos |
| Marlborough | Ian Brooks | | Ed Latter | 3,010 | Ian Brooks |
| Miramar | Bill Young | Bill Young | Bill Young | 1,749 | John Wybrow |
| Mt Albert | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | Warren Freer | 247 | Frank Ryan |
| Napier | Gordon Christie | Gordon Christie | Gordon Christie | 931 | John Isles |
| Nelson | Stan Whitehead | Stan Whitehead | Stan Whitehead | 1,093 | Ian McWhannel |
| New Lynn | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | Jonathan Hunt | 890 | Barry O'Connor |
| New Plymouth | Ron Barclay | | Tony Friedlander | 1,935 | Ron Barclay |
| North Shore | George Gair | George Gair | George Gair | 5,247 | Wyn Hoadley |
| Oamaru | Bill Laney | | Jonathan Elworthy | 2,196 | Bill Laney |
| Onehunga | Hugh Watt | | Frank Rogers | 1,044 | Kevin O'Brien |
| Otago Central | Ian Quigley | | Warren Cooper | 2,371 | Ian Quigley |
| Otahuhu | Bob Tizard | Bob Tizard | Bob Tizard | 3,785 | Lois Morris |
| Pahiatua | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | 6,769 | Paul Thornicroft |
| Pakuranga | Gavin Downie | Gavin Downie | Gavin Downie | 7,016 | Geoff Braybrooke |
| Palmerston North | Joe Walding | | John Lithgow | 142 | Joe Walding |
| Papanui | Bert Walker | Bert Walker | Bert Walker | 2,985 | Rod Garden |
| Petone | Fraser Colman | Fraser Colman | Fraser Colman | 2,834 | Brel Gluyas |
| Piako | Jack Luxton | Jack Luxton | Jack Luxton | 6,174 | Helen Clark |
| Porirua | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | Gerry Wall | 2,265 | Ross Doughty |
| Raglan | Douglas Carter | | Marilyn Waring | 3,756 | Bill Pickering |
| Rakaia | Colin McLachlan | Colin McLachlan | Colin McLachlan | 5,237 | Graeme Lowrie |
| Rangiora | Kerry Burke | | Derek Quigley | 1,386 | Kerry Burke |
| Rangitikei | Roy Jack | Roy Jack | Roy Jack | 1,756 | Bruce Beetham |
| Remuera | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | Allan Highet | 8,656 | G B Mead |
| Riccarton | Eric Holland | Eric Holland | Eric Holland | 4,766 | Don Johnson |
| Rodney | Peter Wilkinson | Peter Wilkinson | Peter Wilkinson | 7,817 | John Prebble |
| Roskill | Arthur Faulkner | Arthur Faulkner | Arthur Faulkner | 530 | John Maurice Priestley |
| Rotorua | Harry Lapwood | Harry Lapwood | Harry Lapwood | 3,605 | Peter Tapsell |
| Ruahine | Les Gandar | Les Gandar | Les Gandar | 2,763 | Rex Willing |
| St Albans | Roger Drayton | Roger Drayton | Roger Drayton | 1,570 | Prudence Rotherberg |
| St Kilda | Bill Fraser | Bill Fraser | Bill Fraser | 1,890 | Gordon Heslop |
| South Canterbury | Rob Talbot | Rob Talbot | Rob Talbot | 4,301 | Neville Lambert |
| Stratford | David Thomson | David Thomson | David Thomson | 5,667 | P P Hopkins |
| Sydenham | John Kirk | John Kirk | John Kirk | 3,817 | Paul Matheson |
| Tamaki | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | Robert Muldoon | 6,735 | Tim Kaye |
| Tasman | Bill Rowling | Bill Rowling | Bill Rowling | 529 | Peter Malone |
| Taupo | Jack Ridley | | Ray La Varis | 1,614 | Jack Ridley |
| Tauranga | Keith Allen | Keith Allen | Keith Allen | 4,843 | Richard Hendry |
| Timaru | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | Sir Basil Arthur | 1,011 | Dave Walker |
| Waikato | Lance Adams-Schneider | Lance Adams-Schneider | Lance Adams-Schneider | 7,073 | Brian West |
| Wairarapa | Jack Williams | | Ben Couch | 1,468 | Jack Williams |
| Waitemata | Michael Bassett | | Dail Jones | 1,385 | Michael Bassett |
| Wallace | Brian Talboys | Brian Talboys | Brian Talboys | 6,978 | Ian Lamont |
| Wanganui | Russell Marshall | Russell Marshall | Russell Marshall | 1,244 | John Rowan |
| Wellington Central | Ken Comber | Ken Comber | Ken Comber | 1,076 | David Shand |
| West Coast | Paddy Blanchfield | Paddy Blanchfield | Paddy Blanchfield | 2,401 | Barry Dallas |
| Western Hutt | Henry May | | Bill Lambert | 109 | Henry May |
| Whangarei | Murray Smith | | John Elliott | 2,710 | Murray Smith |
| Wigram | Mick Connelly | Mick Connelly | Mick Connelly | 1,967 | Neil Russell |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | Paraone Reweti | Paraone Reweti | Paraone Reweti | 6,261 | Monty Searancke |
| Northern Maori | Matiu Rata | Matiu Rata | Matiu Rata | 4,151 | Winston Peters |
| Southern Maori | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan | 6,452 | Willard Amaru |
| Western Maori | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | Koro Wētere | 8,925 | Emerson Studholme Rangi |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ David Lange came third for Labour in Hobson
* ↑ Henry May was first on election night, but lost when special votes were included

## By-elections during 38th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 38th Parliament.
| Electorate and by-election | Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner |
| Nelson | 1976 | 28 February | Sir Stanley Whitehead | Death | Mel Courtney |
| Mangere | 1977 | 26 March | Colin Moyle | Resignation | David Lange |
| Pahiatua | 1977 | 30 April | Sir Keith Holyoake | Appointed as Governor-General | John Falloon |
| Rangitikei | 1978 | 18 February | Sir Roy Jack | Death | Bruce Beetham |