| Election Name: | 1941 Waitemata by-election |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Flag Year: | 1941 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1938 New Zealand general election |
| Previous Year: | 1938 general |
| Next Election: | 1943 New Zealand general election |
| Next Year: | 1943 general |
| Seats For Election: | Waitemata |
| Election Date: | 19 July 1941 |
| Turnout: | 9,794 |
| Candidate1: | Mary Dreaver |
| Party1: | New Zealand Labour Party |
| Popular Vote1: | 4,396 |
| Candidate2: | William Darlow |
| Color2: | 00529F |
| Party2: | Independent National |
| Popular Vote2: | 3,884 |
| Candidate3: | Norman Douglas |
| Party3: | Democratic Labour Party (New Zealand) |
| Popular Vote3: | 940 |
| MP | |
| Before Election: | Jack Lyon |
| Before Party: | New Zealand Labour Party |
| After Election: | Mary Dreaver |
| After Party: | New Zealand Labour Party |
| Result: | Hold |
The Waitemata by-election was held on 19 July 1941 was caused by the death of Jack Lyon during the term of the 26th New Zealand Parliament. Mary Dreaver of the Labour Party won the by-election; she was the third woman elected to the House of Representatives.
Mary Dreaver was chosen as the Labour Party candidate. Previously, she had unsuccessfully sought Labour nomination for the in the electorate and electorate in 1931.[1] In the she stood for Labour in, coming second. Lyon's widow Alison considered but, after receiving medical advice, opted not to accept nomination to stand for the seat.[2]
The National Party chose not to stand an official candidate for the by-election. However, William Brockway Darlow entered the contest as an "independent" National candidate. He was subsequently endorsed by the National Party for the next general election scheduled to take place later that year, but was postponed until 1943 due to World War II.[3] Darlow had previously contested the seat in 1931 for the United Party, one of National's predecessors.[4]
Former Auckland City Councilor Norman Douglas stood for the Labour splinter group, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). As was predicted, the inclusion of a Democratic Labour candidate split Labour's vote. He was president of the DLP's Grey Lynn branch, secretary of the district council and a member of the DLP national executive.
The following table contains the election results:
Dreaver became the third woman to enter New Zealand's House of Representatives. She was defeated in the next (1943) general election, by the National Party candidate, Henry Thorne Morton.