1977 Christchurch mayoral election

1977 Christchurch mayoral election
	8 October 1977
Turnout	48,403 (44.93%)
Mayor before election; Hamish Hay;	Elected mayor ; Hamish Hay;

The 1977 Christchurch mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1977, election were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government positions. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

Background

Sitting mayor Hamish Hay was re-elected for a second term, defeating Labour Party challenger Alex Clark. Despite retaining the mayoralty the Citizens' Association lost ground on the city council however, resulting in the composition of the council at ten seats to nine in favour of the Labour Party.^[1]

Results

The following table gives the election results:

1977 Christchurch mayoral election^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Citizens'	Hamish Hay	25,558	52.80	+3.10
	Labour	Alex Clark	18,687	38.60
	Values	Peter Heal	3,715	7.67
	Independent	Tubby Hansen	253	0.52	−0.03
Informal votes			190	0.39	+0.03
Majority			6,871	14.19	+10.39
Turnout			48,403	44.93	−15.58

Ward results

Candidates were also elected from wards to the Christchurch City Council.^[1]

	Party/ticket	Councillors
	Labour	10
	Citizens'	9

References

^ ^a ^b "Council Results". The Press. 10 October 1977. p. 2.
^ "Page 31 Advertisements Column 2 – Declaration of Results of Election", The Press, p. 31, 29 October 1977, retrieved 8 June 2025 – via PapersPast

[Results-1] "Council Results". The Press. 10 October 1977. p. 2.

[results-2] "Page 31 Advertisements Column 2 – Declaration of Results of Election", The Press, p. 31, 29 October 1977, retrieved 8 June 2025 – via PapersPast

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