New Zealand general election, 1954

New Zealand general election, 1954

1951 ← November 13, 1954 (1954-11-13) → 1957

All 80 seats in the Parliament of New Zealand 41 seats were needed for a majority Turnout 1,096,877 (91.4%)   First party Second party   Leader Sidney Holland Walter Nash Party National Labour Leader since 1940 1951 Leader's seat Christchurch North Hutt Last election 50 seats, 54.0% 30 seats, 45.8% Seats won 45 35 Seat change 5 5 Popular vote 485,630 484,028 Percentage 44.3% 44.1% Swing 9.7% 1.7%

Prime Minister before election Sidney Holland National Elected Prime Minister Sidney Holland National

The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 31st term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority. It also saw the debut of the new Social Credit Party, which performed well but won no seats.

Background

The National Party had formed its first administration after the 1949 elections. It had then been re-elected by a large margin amid the industrial disputes of the 1951 election. The Prime Minister, Sidney Holland, was popular in many sectors of society for his strong line against striking dockworkers and coalminers, while Labour's leader, Walter Nash, had been criticised for his failure to take a firm stand on the issue. Labour was troubled by internal disputes, with Nash subjected to an unsuccessful leadership challenge only a few months before the election. For the election, the National government adopted a "steady as she goes" approach, saying that the country was in good hands and did not need any major policy realignments.

The election

The date for the main 1954 elections was 13 November. 1,209,670 people were registered to vote, and turnout was 91.4%. The number of seats being contested was 80, a number which had been fixed since 1902.

Results

The 1954 election saw the governing National Party re-elected with a ten-seat margin, a drop from the twenty-seat margin it previously held. National won forty-five seats to the Labour Party's thirty-five. The popular vote was much closer, however, with the two parties separated by only 0.2%. No seats were won by minor party candidates or by independents, but the new Social Credit Party managed to win 11.2% of the vote.

	Party	Leader	Votes	Percentage	Seats won	change
	National	Sidney Holland	485,630	44.3%	45	-5
	Labour	Walter Nash	484,028	44.1%	35	+5
	Social Credit	Wilfrid Owen	122,573	11.2%	0	new party
	Communist		1,134	0.1%	0
	Others (including independents)		3,474	0.4	0	0
	National re-elected		1,096,877	100%	80