List of by-elections to the Invercargill City Council

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By-elections to the Invercargill City Council occur to fill vacant seats in the City Council. The death, resignation, bankruptcy or expulsion of a sitting councillor can cause a by-election to occur. The most recent by-election in Invercargill was in 2023 triggered by the resignation of councillor Nigel Skelt.

There have also been four mayoral by-elections in 1887, 1938, 1942 and 1993.

List of by-elections[edit]

1912 by-election[edit]

William Benjamin Scandrett resigned from the council upon being elected mayor. The resulting by-election was won by Tom O'Byrne.[1][2]

1912 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom O'Byrne 769 39.65
Independent Hugh Mair 545 28.10
Independent Robert Barbour McKay 443 22.84
Independent Andrew McCulloch 171 8.81
Informal votes 11 0.56
Majority 224 11.55
Turnout 1,939

1913 by-election[edit]

In 1913 Councillor Robert Galbraith resigned after moving residence to Ashburton.[3]

1913 Invercargill Borough Council by-election[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Thomas Carswell 890 39.01
Independent Isaac Petrie 882 38.66
United Labour Alexander Glass 485 21.26
Informal votes 24 1.05
Majority 8 0.35
Turnout 2,281

1916 by-elections[edit]

Councillor John Archer resigned to move to Wellington.[6] Edward Sheehan won the by-election on 19 January but was forced to resign due to a contract he neglected to surrender prior to being nominated.[7][8][9] He was again elected on 23 February.[10][11]

January 1916 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Edward Sheehan 558 46.34
Labour John Winders 330 27.40
Independent Labour John Charles Mackley 316 26.24
Informal votes 28 2.32
Majority 228 18.93
Turnout 1,204
February 1916 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Edward Sheehan 547 39.46 -6.88
Independent William Smith 360 25.97
Labour John Winders 315 22.72 -4.68
Independent Labour Jacob Alsweiler 106 7.64
Independent Thomas Harrington 58 4.18
Informal votes 9 0.64 -1.68
Majority 187 13.49 -5.44
Turnout 1,386

1920 by-election[edit]

William Baird's seat on the council lapsed in 1920 triggering a by-election.

1920 Invercargill Borough Council by-election[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Frederick George Blake 386 73.66
Independent Labour Jacob Alsweiler 135 25.76
Informal votes 3 0.57
Majority 251 47.90
Turnout 524 5.87

1927 by-election[edit]

Councillor Arthur Geddes resigned due to poor health. The by-election was contested by former councillors Alexander Glass and Tom O'Byrne.[14][15][16]

1927 Invercargill Borough Council by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom O'Byrne 1,323 53.15
Independent Alexander Glass 1,159 46.56
Informal votes 7 0.28
Majority 164 6.58
Turnout 2,489

1932 by-election[edit]

Councillor Edward Sheehan died on 21 June 1932.[17] The resulting by-election was won by William Denham on 18 July.[18][19]

1932 Invercargill City Council by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Denham 2,023 55.12
Independent William Rous Mabson 1,637 44.60
Informal votes 10 0.27
Majority 386 10.51
Turnout 3,670

1938 by-election[edit]

1938 Invercargill City Council by-election[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Thomas Parsons 1,011 30.28
Independent William John Thomas 1,003 30.04
Independent Albert Errol Crimp 956 28.63
Independent Labour D W Stalker 368 11.02
Majority 8 0.24
Turnout 3,338

1939 by-election[edit]

First term councillor Alfred McCarthy resigned after being appointed as Judge of the Native Land Court for the Cook Islands in February 1939.[22]

1939 Invercargill City Council by-election[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent William John Thomas 2,178 63.02
Labour Maurice William Grantham 1,275 36.89
Informal votes 3 0.08
Majority 903 26.12
Turnout 3,456

1949 by-election[edit]

Councillor John Pickard died on 10 January 1949, prompting a by-election which was won by George Agnew.[24][25] Councillor Agnew would later die suddenly during a council meeting that November.[26] The council opted to fill the seat via an appointment rather than hold another by-election.[27]

1949 Invercargill City Council by-election[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent George Agnew 965 23.56
Independent Alan Herbert James Wyatt 752 18.36
Independent Sandy Jordan 596 14.55
Independent Albert Errol Crimp 502 12.25
Independent George William Adamson 419 10.23
Independent William Liddy Boyd 356 8.69
Independent Brian Vincent Liston Beadle 324 7.91
Independent John Charles Waters 233 5.68
Independent Thomas Philip Hackett 49 1.19
Independent James Millar Markey 32 0.78
Informal votes 65 1.58
Majority 213 5.20
Turnout 4,095 22.75

1976 by-election[edit]

Councillor Norman Jones resigned after being elected to parliament, prompting a by-election. Jones was replaced on the council by J. B. Munro, whom he defeated at the parliamentary election. There was also another vacancy so the election was for two seats.[29]

1976 Invercargill City Council by-election[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. B. Munro 4,299 65.09
Independent Jim Fenton 1,969 29.81
Independent Ivall Moira Macdonald 1,400 21.19
Values Malcolm Blair 1,310 19.83
Independent Tom Brass 1,102 16.68
Independent Walter McGregor Watson 886 13.41
Independent Mervyn Charles Thomas Hughes 650 9.84
Independent Alan Francis King 492 7.45
Independent Rex Hawthorne 427 6.46
Independent Neville Green 351 5.31
Independent Ralph Thomas Webb 284 4.30
Informal votes 39 0.59
Majority 569 8.61
Turnout 6,604 18.00

2006 by-election[edit]

The 2006 by-election was triggered by the resignation of councillor David Carter due to ill health.

2006 Invercargill City Council by-election[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wayne Harpur 4,609 29.55
Independent Thelma Buck 3,935 25.23
Independent Anne McCracken 3,096 19.85
Independent Maree Wilks 1,995 12.79
Independent Karl Barkley 1,905 12.21
Informal votes 56 0.35
Majority 674 4.32
Turnout 15,596

2012 by-election[edit]

The 2012 by-election was triggered following the resignation of Jackie Kruger.

2012 Invercargill City Council by-election[32]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Lindsay Thomas 2,845 20.60
Independent Karen Arnold 2,492 18.04
Independent Steve Broad 2,453 17.76
Independent Allan Arnold 1,890 13.68
Independent Debbie Jamieson 1,344 9.73
Independent Becs Amundsen 872 6.31
Independent Hunter Andrews 808 5.85
Independent Carl Heenan 702 5.08
Independent Charlie Te Au 314 2.27
Majority 353 2.55
Turnout 13,810

2021 by-election[edit]

The 2021 by-election was prompted by the resignation of deputy mayor Toni Biddle in October 2020.[33] On 17 February 2021, broadcaster Marcus Lush was declared to have won in a landslide.[34]

2021 Invercargill City Council by-election[35]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Marcus Lush 7,371 50.14
Independent Wayne Harpur 1,534 10.43
Independent Simon Edwards 1,134 7.71
Independent Kevin Mulrooney 1,115 7.58
Independent Tom Downey 1,028 6.99
Independent David Pottinger 975 6.63
Independent Wade Devine 894 6.08
Independent Carl Heenan 432 2.93
Independent Bernadine Goldsmith 146 0.99
Informal votes 71 0.48
Majority 5,837 39.70
Turnout 14,700 36.58

2023 by-election[edit]

On the night of 4 May 2023, Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt resigned from his position after fellow councillor Ria Bond threatened to resign if Skelt did not resign following allegations of sexual harassment.[36] On 2 May 2023, Radio New Zealand reported that a female teenage employee at the ILT Stadium Southland had resigned on 17 February 2023 in response to Skelt's remarks about her physical appearance, naked jelly wrestling, and sexual reproduction. The former employee said she was upset by Skelt's remarks and no longer wanted to work alongside Skelt. At the time, Skelt was working as a stadium manager at ILT Stadium Southland. Radio New Zealand also reported that the Mayor of Invercargill Nobby Clark tried to defuse the situation by paying the teenage employee's NZ$3,000 in lost income, offering the employee counseling and work, issuing a warning to Skelt, and negotiating a confidentiality agreement with the employee. The young woman's parent criticised Clark in a letter for allegedly prioritising Skelt and the stadium's reputation over the hurt and damage experienced by the employee. The incident became public knowledge following a Local Government Official Information Meeting Act media request filed on 29 March 2023.[37]

Bond welcomed Skelt's decision to resign, stating that "no person should be forced to work with someone who has done the things that he's done." The Invercargill City Council stated that Skelt's resignation would trigger a by-election, which was expected to cost approximately NZ$120,000. Invercargill's last by-election was held in 2020–2021 in response to Toni Biddle's resignation.[36] The by-election campaign launch began on 1 July 2023. The Holy Trinity Church hosted a campaign launch meeting that was attended by seven candidates and 20 members of the public. The campaign launch covered several topics including the Three Waters reform programme, soup kitchens, Invercargill's Splash Palace changing room policy and Mayor Clark's participation in Julian Batchelor's controversial "Stop Co-Governance" meeting. A further ten meetings were scheduled to be held in Invercargill before voting commences on 13 July.[38]

2023 Invercargill City Council by-election[39]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Steve Broad 2,792 20.93
Independent David Meades 1,589 11.91
Independent Lisa Tou-McNaughton 1,559 11.69
Independent Graham Lewis 1,524 11.42
Independent Asha Dutt 1,505 11.28
Independent Ian Reeves 888 6.65
Independent David Pottinger 678 5.08
Independent Sebastien Fabre 652 4.88
Independent Terry King 507 3.80
Independent Andrea Murrell 460 3.44
Independent David Hicks 363 2.72
Independent Carl Heenan 362 2.71
Independent Rob Te Maiharoa 324 2.42
Independent Tom Morton 71 0.53
Informal votes 61 0.45
Majority 1,203 9.02
Turnout 13,335 34.48

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Town Council Nominations". The Southland Times. 15 May 1912. p. 2.
  2. ^ "Town Council Election". The Southland Times. 22 May 1912. p. 6.
  3. ^ "About People". The Southland Times. 23 June 1913. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Borough of Invercargill". Southern Cross. 26 July 1913. p. 12.
  5. ^ "Municipal By-Election". The Southland Times. 31 July 1913. p. 6.
  6. ^ "Valedictory". The Southland Times. 18 January 1916. p. 6.
  7. ^ "To-day's Poll". The Southland Times. 19 January 1916. p. 5.
  8. ^ "Yesterday's Polls". The Southland Times. 20 January 1916. p. 5.
  9. ^ "News and Notes". Southern Cross. 5 February 1916. p. 11.
  10. ^ "Town Council Vacancy". The Southland Times. 24 February 1916. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Borough of Invercargill". Southern Cross. 26 February 1916. p. 9.
  12. ^ "General News". Southern Cross. 17 July 1920. p. 8.
  13. ^ "Council By-election". The Southland Times. 9 August 1920. p. 5.
  14. ^ "About People". The Southland Times. 9 August 1927. p. 6.
  15. ^ "Council Vacancy". The Southland Times. 15 August 1927. p. 6.
  16. ^ "The By-election - Victory For Labour". The Southland Times. 1 September 1927. p. 8.
  17. ^ "Obituary - Mr. Edward Sheenan". The Southland Times. 22 June 1932. p. 4.
  18. ^ "City Council". The Southland Times. 29 June 1932. p. 8.
  19. ^ "City Council - By-election Result". The Southland Times. 19 July 1932. p. 6.
  20. ^ "Local & General". Western Star. 18 November 1938. p. 2.
  21. ^ "Labour Unity". Otago Daily Times. 19 November 1938. p. 14.
  22. ^ "Land Court Judge at Cook Islands". The Press. 9 February 1939. p. 8.
  23. ^ "City of Invercargill - Declaration of Poll on Extraordinary Election of Councillor". The Southland Times. No. 23781. 31 March 1939. p. 1.
  24. ^ "Obituary - Mr John Pickard". Otago Daily Times. 11 January 1949. p. 6.
  25. ^ "Invercargill Election". Gisborne Herald. 24 February 1949. p. 4.
  26. ^ "Invercargill Councillor Dies At Council Meeting". Wanganui Chronicle. 15 November 1949. p. 5.
  27. ^ "Vacant Seat on City Council - By-Election May Be Unnecessary". The Southland Times. 18 November 1949. p. 6.
  28. ^ "City of Invercargill - Declaration of Poll on Extraordinary Election of Councillor". The Southland Times. 26 February 1949. p. 2.
  29. ^ "Mr Munro gets seat in council". The Press. 17 April 1976. p. 16.
  30. ^ "City of Invercargill - Declaration of Result of Election". The Southland Times. 29 April 1976. p. 18.
  31. ^ Nordqvist, Susie (21 August 2006). "Harpur gets nod over Buck in low-polling city council byelection". The Southland Times. p. 1.
  32. ^ Harding, Evan (30 August 2012). "Voters return Thomas to council table". The Southland Times. p. 5.
  33. ^ "Invercargill deputy mayor Toni Biddle quits in new blow to council". New Zealand Herald. 9 October 2020.
  34. ^ Savory, Logan (17 February 2021). "Prominent broadcaster Marcus Lush wins Invercargill City Council by-election". Stuff.
  35. ^ "2021 By-election". Invercargill City Council.
  36. ^ a b "Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt resigns following sexual harassment allegations". Radio New Zealand. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  37. ^ "Teen employee 'left in tears' by comments from Invercargill City councillor Nigel Skelt". Radio New Zealand. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  38. ^ "Low by-election campaign launch turnout 'sad indictment'". Otago Daily Times. Allied Press. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  39. ^ "2023 By-election". Invercargill City Council.
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