1956 Riccarton by-election

The Riccarton by-election 1956 was a by-election held in the Riccarton electorate in Christchurch during the term of the 31st New Zealand Parliament following the death of the Labour Party incumbent. The by-election, held on 27 October 1956, was won by Mick Connelly, also of the Labour Party.[1]

1956 Riccarton by-election

27 October 1956
Turnout	10,698 (66.28%)
Candidate Mick Connelly Balfour Dingwall Wilfrid Owen Party Labour National Social Credit Popular vote 6,549 2,691 1,379 Percentage 61.45 25.25 12.94
MP before election Angus McLagan Labour Elected MP Mick Connelly Labour

Background

The by-election was caused by the death of incumbent MP Angus McLagan of the Labour Party on 4 September 1956.[2] McLagan, who had represented the electorate since 1946, was hospitalised in early August 1956 suffering from a chest ailment before dying several weeks later.[3]

Candidates

Labour

The Labour Party selected Mick Connelly as its candidate. He was the son of MLC Michael Connelly and had contested St Albans in 1954. Initially Mayor of Kaiapoi Norman Kirk, who had stood for Labour in Hurunui two years earlier, sought the Labour nomination, but eventually withdrew from the selection contest.[4] Rotorua MP Ray Boord spoke at public meetings in Connelly's support.[5]

National

Balfour Grieve Dingwall was chosen as the National Party's candidate. He had contested the electorate previously at the 1954 general election. Bill Sullivan, the Minister of Labour, made several speeches in Dingwall's support.[5]

Social Credit

Founder of the Social Credit Party Wilfrid Owen contested the by-election. In the previous election he had contested the nearby seat of Lyttelton.[6] His campaign focused on the plea that Social Credit needed a voice in parliament and targeted Labour voters to support him in the by-election given the result could not change the government.[5] Former Labour MP, turned Social Credit activist Frank Langstone spoke at hustings in support of Owen.

Others

Ernest Yealands representing a splinter group of the Social Credit Party contested the seat against Owen, where he was expected to draw away "a few hundred votes from his one-time leader".[5] Additionally Richard Israel Charles Grenfell had initially chosen to contest the seat as an independent, but withdrew. However, his decision to withdraw came after the ballot papers were printed.[5]

Campaign

A prominent issue in the by-election was the question of state-aid to private schools. Connelly and Dingwall opposed the notion, Yealands supported it while Owen sidestepped the issue stating that under Social Credit state-aid would not be necessary. There was also a hotly argued debate between the supporters of Connelly and Owen over whether Labour's first Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage was a social crediter. The debate spilled over into newspapers, filling correspondence columns and letters to editors for over a week.[5]

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1956 Riccarton by-election[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mick Connelly	6,549	61.45
	National	Balfour Grieve Dingwall	2,691	25.25	-0.96
	Social Credit	Wilfrid Owen	1,379	12.94
	Ind. Social Credit	Ernest Yealands	28	0.26
	Independent	Richard Israel Charles Grenfell	11	0.10
Informal votes			40	0.37
Majority			3,858	36.20
Turnout			10,698	66.28	-24.33
Registered electors			16,140
	Labour hold		Swing

Connolly was re-elected at the subsequent general election confirming him as the MP. He would represent it until 1969 when he transferred to the neighbouring Wigram electorate.[8]

Notes

1. Wilson 1985, p. 190.
2. Wilson 1985, p. 216.
3. "Mr McLagan's Career". The Press. 5 September 1956. p. 14.
4. Bassett, Michael. "Kirk, Norman Eric". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
5. "Riccarton Goes To The Polls Tomorrow". Evening Post. 26 October 1956. p. 12.
6. Norton 1988, pp. 263.
7. Norton 1988, p. 333.
8. Norton 1988, pp. 333, 393.

References

• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.