1989 Wellington City mayoral election explained

Election Name:1989 Wellington City mayoral election
Country:New Zealand
Flag Image:Wellington Coat Of Arms.svg
Type:Presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1986 Wellington City mayoral election
Previous Year:1986
Next Election:1992 Wellington City mayoral election
Next Year:1992
Election Date:14 October 1989
Turnout:52,588 (49.94%)
Candidate1:Jim Belich
Party1:New Zealand Labour Party
Popular Vote1:15,198
Percentage1:28.90
Candidate2:Helene Ritchie
Party2:Independent politician
Popular Vote2:14,266
Percentage2:27.12
Candidate3:Rex Nicholls
Party3:Wellington Citizens' Association
Popular Vote3:14,183
Percentage3:26.97
Mayor
Before Election:Jim Belich
Before Party:New Zealand Labour Party
After Election:Jim Belich
After Party:New Zealand Labour Party

The 1989 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1989, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

Background

See also: 1989 local government reforms. The 1989 local elections were the first following a major overhaul of local government in New Zealand. The existing Wellington City Council remained in place but greatly expanded, absorbing several of the neighbouring authorities including the Tawa Borough Council and land on the waterfront formerly in the possession of the Wellington Harbour Board. This was the first local election in Wellington to allow postal voting, though polling booths were still available for use.[1]

The race for the mayoralty was bitterly fought with both sides of local politics in Wellington fighting internal divisions as well as each other. Mayor Jim Belich stood for a second term opposed by his former deputy Helene Ritchie who had left Labour after she was removed as deputy-mayor the previous year. The Citizens' Association also had rival candidates running against each other with Rex Nicholls running as the officially endorsed candidate with former Citizens' leader on the council David Bull and ex-councillor Roger Ridley-Smith running as an independent candidates after losing the nomination to Nicholls. As such, the race was characterised by vote splitting and provided a very closely spread result.[2] [3]

Actor Kevin Woodill, who played the role of William Hobson in Depot Theatre's production of Pigeon English, sought to stand for mayor as "William Hobson" in protest of local body amalgamation.[4] However he was unable to stand as an alias could not be used on a ballot paper, though they could campaign under whatever name they liked.[5]

The council vote was likewise indecisive with no one group having control of the council. The Labour Party had lost its majority from three years earlier with the Citizens' Association winning a plurality and becoming the largest group on the council. 1989 also saw the emergence of the Green Party which won a seat on the council, the first third party to do so since 1977. Stephen Rainbow won a seat in the Lambton Ward and became the country's first ever Green councillor.[6]

Mayoralty results

The following table gives the election results:

Results by ward

Rex Nicholls polled the highest in three of the seven of Wellington's electoral wards while Jim Belich and Helene Ritchie each polled the highest in two.

Wards won by Belich
Wards won by Ritchie
Wards won by Nicholls
Jim BelichHelene RitchieRex NichollsOthersTotal
Ward%%%%
Eastern3,290 30.3 2,944 27.1 3,122 28.8 1,500 13.9 10,856
Lambton1,925 32.0 1,496 24.9 1,836 30.5 757 12.6 6,014
Northern1,814 25.6 2,292 32.4 1,354 19.1 1,619 22.8 7,079
Onslow1,658 28.8 1,137 19.8 1,786 31.1 1,186 20.6 5,747
Tawa1,059 21.2 1,301 26.1 1,309 26.3 1,306 26.2 4,975
Southern2,948 32.1 3,006 32.7 2,044 22.2 1,195 13.1 9,193
Western2,504 28.7 2,090 24.0 2,732 31.4 1,378 15.8 8,704
Totaldata-sort-value="Z"15,198 28.9 14,266 27.1 14,183 26.9 7,550 14.3 52,588

Ward results

See also: 1989 Wellington City local elections. Candidates were also elected from wards to the Wellington City Council.

Party/ticket Councillors
Citizens'9
Labour7
Greens1
Independent4

Notes and References

  1. News: Local body voting starts — by post . . 25 September 1989 .
  2. News: Naylor . Shani . . Dumped Team Captains Seek Voter Vindication . 5 October 1989 .
  3. News: Moran . Paul . . Bull quits Citizens' team after losing candidacy . 1 June 1989 .
  4. News: Pigeon English hatches new mayoral candidate . . 16 August 1989 .
  5. News: Ruled out . . 18 August 1989 .
  6. News: Zatorski . Lidia . Green Rainbow could be on Blues party list . . 7 April 1999 . 3 .