# 25th New Zealand Parliament

The 25th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It opened on 25 March 1936, following the 1935 election. It was dissolved on 16 September 1938 in preparation for the 1938 election.
The 25th Parliament was notable in that it was the first time the Labour Party had a parliamentary majority and formed a government, the First Labour Government. The new Prime Minister was Michael Joseph Savage. The opposition consisted of the United Party and the Reform Party, which merged to form the National Party in 1936.
The 25th Parliament consisted of eighty representatives, each elected from separate geographical electorates. As the 1935 elections had been a landslide victory for the Labour Party, the 25th Parliament was dominated by Labour MPs — 53 of the 80 were members of the Labour Party. The main opposition consisted of a coalition of the Reform Party, the United Party, and three independents, having a total of 19 MPs. Part way through the 25th Parliament, Reform and United took their coalition to the next step, and merged into a single group. This was called the National Party. The smaller Country Party and Rātana movement had two MPs each, and there were four independents not aligned with the coalition. The Democrat Party, despite winning a significant portion of the vote, did not hold any seats.

## Ministries

The 24th Parliament had been led by a coalition of the Reform Party and the United Party, formed in September 1931 during the term of the 23rd Parliament and led by George Forbes. The primary opposition had been the Labour Party.
At the 1935 election, the Labour Party obtained a parliamentary majority and formed a government, the First Labour Government. The leader of the Labour Party, Michael Joseph Savage, became Prime Minister. The opposition consisted of the United Party and the Reform Party, which merged in 1936 during the term of the 25th Parliament to form the National Party. The Savage Ministry was in power until Savage's death on 27 March 1940.

## Party standings
### 1935-36

| Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start |
| Labour Party | Michael Joseph Savage | 53 |
| Reform Party | Gordon Coates | 9 |
| United Party | George Forbes | 7 |
| Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 2 |
| Ratana | Eruera Tirikatene | 2 |
| Independents | Independents | 7 |

### 1936-38

| Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start |
| Labour Party | Michael Joseph Savage | 55 |
| National Party | Adam Hamilton | 19 |
| Country Party | Harold Rushworth | 2 |
| Independents | Independents | 4 |

## Members
### Initial MPs

The following table shows the detailed results:
Key
Labour  Independent  United  Reform  United/Reform  Democrat  Ratana  Country Party
Electorate results for the 1935 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Auckland Central | Bill Parry | Bill Parry | Bill Parry | 5,301 | Clifford Reid Dodd |
| Auckland East | Bill Schramm | Bill Schramm | Bill Schramm | 2,337 | Harold Percy Burton |
| Auckland Suburbs | Rex Mason | Rex Mason | Rex Mason | 4,896 | William Alexander Bishop |
| Auckland West | Michael Joseph Savage | Michael Joseph Savage | Michael Joseph Savage | 6,180 | Ernest David Stallworthy |
| Avon | Dan Sullivan | Dan Sullivan | Dan Sullivan | 5,410 | Lancelot Charles Walker |
| Awarua | Philip De La Perrelle | | James Hargest | 950 | Thomas Francis Doyle |
| Bay of Islands | Harold Rushworth | Harold Rushworth | Harold Rushworth | 2,121 | Clive Cameron |
| Bay of Plenty | vacant | | Gordon Hultquist | 555 | John Tom Merry |
| Buller | Paddy Webb | Paddy Webb | Paddy Webb | 4,499 | John H Powell |
| Central Otago | William Bodkin | William Bodkin | William Bodkin | 1,819 | Herbert Kerr Edie |
| Chalmers | Alfred Ansell | | Archie Campbell | 1,071 | Alfred Ansell |
| Christchurch East | Tim Armstrong | Tim Armstrong | Tim Armstrong | 5,728 | Sydney Richardson |
| Christchurch North | Henry Holland | | Sidney Holland | 971 | Robert Macfarlane |
| Christchurch South | Ted Howard | Ted Howard | Ted Howard | 5,585 | Tom Milliken |
| Clutha | Peter McSkimming | | James Roy | 1,930 | Rev. Edwin Thoms Cox |
| Dunedin Central | Charles Statham | | Peter Neilson | 1,729 | Donald Cameron |
| Dunedin North | Jim Munro | Jim Munro | Jim Munro | 1,668 | Alexander Smith Falconer |
| Dunedin South | Fred Jones | Fred Jones | Fred Jones | 3,378 | Stuart Sidey |
| Dunedin West | William Downie Stewart | | Gervan McMillan | 945 | William Downie Stewart |
| Eden | Arthur Stallworthy | | Bill Anderton | 2,465 | Arthur Stallworthy |
| Egmont | Charles Wilkinson | Charles Wilkinson | Charles Wilkinson | 3,172 | James Ross |
| Franklin | Jack Massey | | Arthur Sexton | 685 | Jack Massey |
| Gisborne | David Coleman | David Coleman | David Coleman | 1,817 | Douglas Lysnar |
| Grey Lynn | John A. Lee | John A. Lee | John A. Lee | 8,012 | George Wildish |
| Hamilton | Alexander Young | | Charles Barrell | 1,391 | Alexander Young |
| Hauraki | Walter William Massey | | Charles Robert Petrie | 544 | Walter William Massey |
| Hawke's Bay | Hugh Campbell | | Ted Cullen | 1,010 | Hugh Campbell |
| Hurunui | George Forbes | George Forbes | George Forbes | 1,203 | Donald Cyrus Davie |
| Hutt | Walter Nash | Walter Nash | Walter Nash | 7,757 | Victor Emmanuel Jacobson |
| Invercargill | James Hargest | | William Denham | 346 | Gordon Reed |
| Kaiapoi | Richard Hawke | | Morgan Williams | 1,424 | Richard Hawke |
| Kaipara | Gordon Coates | Gordon Coates | Gordon Coates | 302 | William Grounds |
| Lyttelton | Terry McCombs | Terry McCombs | Terry McCombs | 2,775 | Seton Fulton Marshall |
| Manawatu | Joseph Linklater | | Lorrie Hunter | 60 | Joseph Linklater |
| Manukau | Bill Jordan | Bill Jordan | Bill Jordan | 6,402 | Herbert Jenner Wily |
| Marsden | Alfred Murdoch | | Jim Barclay | 347 | Alfred Murdoch |
| Masterton | George Sykes | | John Robertson | 325 | George Sykes |
| Mataura | David McDougall | David McDougall | David McDougall | 1,658 | Thomas Golden |
| Mid-Canterbury | vacant | | Horace Herring | 462 | James Carr |
| Motueka | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | Keith Holyoake | 280 | Rubert York |
| Napier | Bill Barnard | Bill Barnard | Bill Barnard | 4,057 | Frank Bannerman Logan |
| Nelson | Harry Atmore | Harry Atmore | Harry Atmore | 2,610 | Herbert Everett |
| New Plymouth | Sydney George Smith | Sydney George Smith | Sydney George Smith | 831 | Fred Frost |
| Oamaru | John Andrew MacPherson | | Arnold Nordmeyer | 1,142 | John Andrew MacPherson |
| Oroua | John Cobbe | John Cobbe | John Cobbe | 2,333 | William Henry Oliver |
| Otaki | William Hughes Field | | Leonard Lowry | 1,720 | G. A. Monk |
| Pahiatua | Alfred Ransom | Alfred Ransom | Alfred Ransom | 1,175 | R A Gower |
| Palmerston | Jimmy Nash | | Joe Hodgens | 115 | Gus Mansford |
| Parnell | Bill Endean | Bill Endean | Bill Endean | 731 | Arthur Osborne |
| Patea | Harold Dickie | Harold Dickie | Harold Dickie | 649 | W G Simpson |
| Raglan | Lee Martin | Lee Martin | Lee Martin | 1,695 | Stewart Reid |
| Rangitikei | Alexander Stuart | | Ormond Wilson | 907 | Alexander Stuart |
| Riccarton | Bert Kyle | Bert Kyle | Bert Kyle | 1,139 | G T Thurston |
| Roskill | Arthur Shapton Richards | Arthur Shapton Richards | Arthur Shapton Richards | 4,023 | Thomas James Fleming |
| Rotorua | Cecil Clinkard | | Alexander Moncur | 1,452 | Frederick Doidge |
| Stratford | William Polson | William Polson | William Polson | 339 | Philip Skoglund |
| Tauranga | Charles Macmillan | | Charles Burnett | 41 | Charles Macmillan |
| Temuka | Thomas Burnett | Thomas Burnett | Thomas Burnett | 605 | Thomas Herbert Langford |
| Thames | Albert Samuel | | Jim Thorn | 1,262 | Albert Samuel |
| Timaru | Clyde Carr | Clyde Carr | Clyde Carr | 1,059 | W Thomas |
| Waimarino | Frank Langstone | Frank Langstone | Frank Langstone | 1,863 | Cecil Boles |
| Waipawa | Albert Jull | | Max Christie | 259 | Albert Jull |
| Waikato | Frederick Lye | | Robert Coulter | 784 | Frederick Lye |
| Wairarapa | Alex McLeod | | Ben Roberts | 33 | John Wiltshire Card |
| Wairau | Edward Healy | | Ted Meachen | 352 | Edward Healy |
| Waitaki | John Bitchener | | David Barnes | 479 | John Bitchener |
| Waitemata | Alexander Harris | | Jack Lyon | 2,684 | Alexander Harris |
| Waitomo | Walter Broadfoot | Walter Broadfoot | Walter Broadfoot | 1,526 | Jack Jones |
| Wallace | Adam Hamilton | Adam Hamilton | Adam Hamilton | 2,034 | Lawrence Edmond |
| Wanganui | Bill Veitch | | Joe Cotterill | 1,569 | Bill Veitch |
| Wellington Central | Peter Fraser | Peter Fraser | Peter Fraser | 4,479 | Will Mason |
| Wellington East | Bob Semple | Bob Semple | Bob Semple | 3,323 | Ossie Mazengarb |
| Wellington North | Charles Chapman | Charles Chapman | Charles Chapman | 794 | Elizabeth Gilmer |
| Wellington South | Robert McKeen | Robert McKeen | Robert McKeen | 6,059 | Henry Featherston Toogood |
| Wellington Suburbs | Robert Wright | Robert Wright | Robert Wright | 1,856 | Peter Butler |
| Westland | James O'Brien | James O'Brien | James O'Brien | 3,677 | H R Young |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | Āpirana Ngata | Āpirana Ngata | Āpirana Ngata | 3,224 | Tiaki Omana |
| Northern Maori | Taurekareka Henare | Taurekareka Henare | Taurekareka Henare | 983 | Paraire Karaka Paikea |
| Southern Maori | Eruera Tirikatene | Eruera Tirikatene | Eruera Tirikatene | 43 | Thomas Kaiporohu Bragg |
| Western Maori | Taite Te Tomo | | Toko Ratana | 47 | Taite Te Tomo |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ James Hargest ran as an Independent, but was aligned to the Reform Party
* ↑ Kenneth Williams, the previous representative, died two days prior to the election
* ↑ James Roy ran as an Independent, but was aligned to the United–Reform Coalition
* ↑ Jeremiah Connolly, the previous representative, died just prior to the election
* ↑ Father of the historian W. H. Oliver
* ↑ William Polson ran as an Independent, but was aligned to the United–Reform Coalition

### By-elections during 25th Parliament

There was one by-election during the term of the 25th Parliament.
| Electorate and by-election | Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Incumbent | Cause | Winner | Winner |
| Manukau | 1936 | 30 September | | Bill Jordan | Appointed High Commissioner, UK | | Arthur Osborne |

### Summary of changes

* Bill Jordan, the Labour MP for Manukau, resigned in 1936 to become the New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He was replaced by Arthur Osborne, also of the Labour Party.
* In 1936, the Reform Party and the United Party merged, becoming the National Party. The three independents who supported the Reform-United coalition (James Hargest, William Polson and James Roy) also joined the new group.