| Election Name: | 1976 Hamilton mayoral by-election |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Type: | Presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1974 Hamilton mayoral election |
| Previous Year: | 1974 |
| Next Election: | 1977 Hamilton mayoral election |
| Next Year: | 1977 |
| Election Date: | 24 April 1976 |
| Turnout: | 19,506 (48.76%) |
| Candidate1: | Bruce Beetham |
| Party1: | Independent politician |
| Popular Vote1: | 9,743 |
| Percentage1: | 49.49 |
| Candidate2: | Ross Jansen |
| Party2: | Independent politician |
| Popular Vote2: | 7,075 |
| Percentage2: | 36.27 |
| Mayor | |
| Before Election: | Mike Minogue |
| After Election: | Bruce Beetham |
The 1976 Hamilton mayoral by-election was held to fill the vacant position of Mayor of Hamilton in New Zealand. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Incumbent mayor Mike Minogue resigned mid-term after he was elected to parliament as MP for in November 1975. Seven candidates came forward to succeed him. A by-election for a seat on the Hamilton City Council occurred concurrently after the resignation of Ian James Drabble, who had moved outside of Hamilton.[1]
Seven candidates were nominated, the largest field of candidates for a mayoral election since 1950. The candidates were:[2]
Three telephone polls were conducted.[4] [5] [6]
| Poll | Date | Bruce Beetham | Nicholas Buysman | Ross Jansen | Bruce Mills | Ivan Pearce | Matthew Te Hira |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Times | 5 April 1976 | 30.1 | – | 17.1 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| The Times | 13 April 1976 | 28.7 | – | 19.4 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 0.5 |
| The Times | 21 April 1976 | 38.7 | 0.4 | 18.1 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
The race quickly became a two-horse race between Beetham and Jansen. Both were attacked by other candidates for being allegedly partisan given Beetham's status as leader of Social Credit and Jansen's affiliation to the National Party. Both countered by saying they would not politicise the office of mayor.[7] The election resulted in Beetham ultimately winning.[8] May Woodcock, a local schoolteacher, won the vacant council seat.[9] Both Beetham and Woodcock were sworn in officially on 12 May.[10]