# 1919 New Zealand general election

The 1919 New Zealand general election was held on Tuesday, 16 December in the Māori electorates and on Wednesday, 17 December in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 20th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 560,673 (80.5%) voters turned out to vote.
In 1919 women won the right to be elected to the House of Representatives. The law was changed late that year, and with only three weeks' notice, three women stood for Parliament.
They were Ellen Melville in Grey Lynn, Rosetta Baume in Parnell, and Aileen Cooke in Thames. Ellen Melville stood for the Reform Party and came second. She stood for Parliament several more times and generally polled well but never won a seat.
This is the most recent general election in which none of the major party leaders were born in New Zealand.

## Results

Though Labour Party captured only eight seats it received nearly a quarter of the votes – a shock to conservative minds due to Labour being founded only three years earlier in 1916.

### Party totals

Election results :
| Party | Party | Candidates | Total votes | Percentage | Seats won |
| | Reform Party | 67 | 197,041 | 35.63 | 45 |
| | Liberal Party | 66 | 166,675 | 30.14 | 19 |
| | Labour Party | 59 | 134,094 | 24.25 | 8 |
| | Independents | 39 | 55,161 | 9.98 | 8 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | | 552,971 | | 80 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | | 7,702 | 1.37 | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | | 683,420 | | |
* ↑ Includes one MP returned unopposed, and one Independent Liberal
* ↑ Includes ex-members of the three main parties as well as long-standing Independents

### Votes summary

Popular Vote
Reform
35.63%
Liberal
30.14%
Labour
24.25%
Independents
9.98% :
Parliament seats
Reform
56.25%
Liberal
23.75%
Labour
10.00%
Independents
10.00% :

### Electorate results

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 |

### Summary of changes

A boundary redistribution resulted in the abolition of four electorates:
* Grey, held by Harry Holland
* Otago Central, held by Robert Scott
* Selwyn, held by William Dickie
* Taumarunui, held by William Thomas Jennings
* Wellington Suburbs and Country, held by Robert Wright
At the same time, four new electorates were created:
* Manawatu, previously abolished in 1911
* Roskill, first created through the 1918 electoral redistribution
* Rotorua, first created through the 1918 electoral redistribution
* Waitomo, first created through the 1918 electoral redistribution
* Wellington Suburbs, previously abolished in 1911