1959 Lower Hutt mayoral election

The 1959 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.

1959 Lower Hutt mayoral election

← 1956 17 November 1959 1962 →
Turnout	12,182 (38.82%)
Candidate Percy Dowse George Wain Party Labour Independent Popular vote 7,372 4,501 Percentage 60.51 36.94
Mayor before election Percy Dowse Elected mayor Percy Dowse

Background

The incumbent Mayor, Percy Dowse, sought re-election for a fourth term. Dowse was opposed by George Wain who stood as an independent candidate. Dowse received a swing against the majority he won in 1956 against former councillor Will Giltrap. This confounded expectations as Wain had no previous civic experience and had only lived in the area for a few years. Just as in the previous election the Citizens' Association (whose tickets won no seats at the 1950 and 1953 elections) did not stand an official ticket of candidates and endorsed a slate of 10 independents while also recommending five of the sitting Labour councillors for re-election. The Ratepayer Independents polled far better than expected with nine of its candidates being elected and only six Labour councillors were re-elected (five of whom were endorsed by the Ratepayer Independents). Sam Chesney was the only Labour councillor elected without their endorsement.^[1] The main talking point in the election was the council's finances. The Citizens' Association criticised Dowse and challenged him to resign over a NZ£75,000 loan for the second stage of the Maungaraki development. Concern over debt cut into Dowse's majority and helped the Ratepayer Independents win so many seats.^[2]

The overall anti-Labour vote (which was consistent nationwide) was attributed to the unpopularity of the then Labour government.^[3] Prime Minister Walter Nash (whose parliamentary seat encompassed Lower Hutt City) commented simply "We seem to have held the mayoralties" in reference that in Lower Hutt, Wellington and Christchurch Labour mayors were re-elected despite voters electing majority centre-right councils.^[4]

Mayoral results

1959 Lower Hutt mayoral election^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Percy Dowse	7,372	60.51	−7.89
	Independent	George Wain	4,501	36.94
Informal votes			309	2.53	+2.26
Majority			2,871	23.56	−13.96
Turnout			12,182	38.82	−4.61

Councillor results

1959 Lower Hutt City Council election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Trevor Young	8,582	70.44	+0.38
	Labour	James McDonald	8,425	69.15	−2.15
	Labour	Chen Werry	8,250	67.72	+0.42
	Labour	Jessie Donald	8,202	67.32	−1.01
	Labour	Wally Bugden	7,878	64.66	−0.07
	Independent	George Barker	7,439	61.06
	Independent	Alwin Atkinson	7,240	59.43	+13.98
	Independent	Cyril Phelps	6,896	56.60	+13.36
	Independent	Isaac Richard Robinson	6,778	55.63
	Labour	Sam Chesney	6,550	53.76	−16.39
	Independent	Donald Marshall Wilson	6,507	53.41
	Independent	Keith Thomas	6,415	52.65
	Independent	Dave Hadley	6,317	51.85
	Independent	William Davidson Smith	6,217	51.03
	Independent	Ray Torrie	6,182	50.74
	Labour	Wally Mildenhall	6,117	49.81	−15.73
	Labour	Walter Fraser	5,915	48.55
	Independent	George Francis Oliver Thomson	5,894	48.38
	Labour	Alexander Murray	5,842	47.95	−16.02
	Labour	Bert Sutherland	5,807	47.66	−17.59
	Labour	William John Jarvis	5,660	46.46
	Labour	William Mouat McLaren	5,652	46.39	−18.93
	Labour	Allan Patrick Ryan	5,219	42.84	−15.95
	Labour	Joseph Stanislaus O'Brien	5,014	41.15
	Labour	William Riley	4,902	40.23	−19.62

Notes

1. "Independents Under Labour Mayors at Hutt and Petone". The Evening Post. 23 November 1959. p. 10.
2. McGill 1991, pp. 171.
3. "Anti-Labour Trend Was General". The Evening Post. 23 November 1959. p. 10.
4. "Have Held the Mayoralties---P.M.". The Evening Post. 23 November 1959. p. 10.
5. "City of Lower Hutt - Election of Mayor". The Evening Post. 1 December 1959. p. 2.
6. "City of Lower Hutt - Election of Fifteen Councillors". The Evening Post. 1 December 1959. 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.