1962 Lower Hutt mayoral election

1962 Lower Hutt mayoral election
13 October 1962
Turnout13,586 (45.28%)
 
Candidate Percy Dowse George Barker
Party Labour Independent
Popular vote 8,367 5,137
Percentage 61.58 37.81
Mayor before election

Percy Dowse

 Elected mayor

Percy Dowse

The 1962 Lower Hutt mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Lower Hutt plus other local government positions including fifteen city councillors, also elected triennially. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

Background

The incumbent Mayor, Percy Dowse, sought re-election for a fifth term. Dowse was opposed by the deputy mayor George Llewellyn Barker who stood as an independent candidate. Barker had been a councillor and member of the Wellington Harbour Board since 1959 and had recently contested the parliamentary seat of Hutt at the 1960 election for the National Party. Just as in the previous two elections the Citizens' Association did not stand an official ticket of candidates and endorsed a slate of independents. The Ratepayer Independents lost all but three seats with the Labour Party regaining their majority on the council.[1] The main issue of the previous election was the council's finances with Dowse criticised over a NZ£75,000 loan for the second stage of the Maungaraki development. Since then the financial situation had been evaluated and the City Treasurer's report in April 1961 established that the council's accounts were healthy with the Ratepayer Independents criticisms being over-exaggerated. This news helped Dowse and Labour make a strong comeback in the election.[2]

Mayoral results

1962 Lower Hutt mayoral election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Percy Dowse 8,367 61.58 +1.07
Independent George Barker 5,137 37.81
Informal votes 82 0.60 −1.93
Majority 3,230 23.77 +0.21
Turnout 13,586 45.28 +6.46

Councillor results

1962 Lower Hutt City Council election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Trevor Young 7,554 55.60 −14.84
Labour Sam Chesney 7,391 54.40 +0.64
Labour Chen Werry 7,144 52.58 −15.14
Labour Jessie Donald 7,114 52.36 −14.96
Labour Joe Aspell 6,850 50.41
Labour Alexander Campbell 6,595 48.54
Labour Wally Bugden 6,587 48.48 −16.18
Labour Walter Fraser 6,525 48.02 −0.53
Labour Wally Mildenhall 6,524 48.02 −1.79
Independent John Kennedy-Good 6,415 47.21
Independent Ted Holdaway 6,185 45.52
Labour William Harvey 6,179 45.48
Labour Bert Sutherland 6,149 45.25 −2.41
Labour William Mouat McLaren 5,920 43.57 −2.82
Independent Dave Hadley 5,867 43.18 −8.67
Independent James Roderick Murray 5,864 43.16
Independent Stan Frost 5,709 42.02
Independent Donald Marshall Wilson 5,693 41.90 −11.51
Independent Labour James McDonald 5,685 41.84 −27.31
Independent Cyril Phelps 5,642 41.52 −15.08
Labour Allan Patrick Ryan 5,574 41.02 −1.82
Independent Don Lee 5,572 41.01
Independent Harold George Cole 5,510 40.55
Independent Hugh McKinnon Smith 5,451 40.12
Independent James Kawarau Horn 5,442 40.05
Labour Joseph Stanislaus O'Brien 5,436 40.01 −1.14
Independent Keith Thomas 5,334 39.26 −13.39
Labour Morris Gordon Castree 5,132 37.77
Independent Alwin Atkinson 4,829 35.54 −23.89

Notes

  1. ^ "Labour Ticket Shows Gains - Mayors Kitts and Dowse Returned with Big Majorities". The Evening Post. 15 October 1962. p. 10.
  2. ^ McGill 1991, pp. 171.
  3. ^ "City of Lower Hutt - Election of Mayor". The Evening Post. 22 October 1962. p. 2.
  4. ^ "City of Lower Hutt - Election of Fifteen Councillors". The Evening Post. 22 October 1962. p. 2.

References

  • Millar, David P. (1972). Once Upon a Village: A History of Lower Hutt 1819-1965. Lower Hutt: New Zealand University Press & LHCC. OCLC 154232923.
  • McGill, David (1991). Lower Hutt – The First Garden City. Petone, New Zealand: Lower Hutt City Council. ISBN 1-86956-003-5.
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