1890–1993 general elections Overview

Date
27 November 1890
Find the number of seats and percentage of votes won by parties and independent candidates in general elections held from 1890 to 1993.

Election Major parties [1] Independents and other parties
  Seats % of votes Seats % of votes Seats % of votes Seats [2] % of votes
1890 Liberal [3] 38 56.2 'Conservative' [4] 25 28.9     independents 7
others 4
15.0
1893 51 57.8 13 24.5     independents 6
others 4
17.7
1896 39 46.0 25 37.4     independents 6
others 4
16.6
1899 49 52.7 19 36.6     independents 2
others 4
10.7
1902 47 51.8 19 20.6     independents 10
others 4
27.7
1905 58 53.1 16 29.7     independents 6
others 0
17.2
1908 50 58.7 26 27.8 'Labour' [5] 1 4.1 independents 3
others 0
9.4
1911 33 40.7 Reform Party 37 34.6 4 8.5 independents 6
others 0
16.2
1914 33 43.1 41 46.9 6 9.3 independents 0
others 0
0.8
1919 21 28.2 47 36.0 Labour Party 8 23.8 independents 4
others 0
12.1
1922 22 26.3 37 39.4 17 23.7 independents 4
others 0
10.7
1925 11 20.4 55 46.5 12 27.3 independents 2
others 0
5.9
1928 United Party 27 29.8 27 34.8 19 26.2 Country Party 1
independents 6
others 0
9.2
1931     United-Reform Coalition 51 55.4 24 34.3 Country Party 1
independents 4,
others 0
2.3
8.0
1935     United-Reform ('National')
19
32.9 53 +Ratana 2 [6] 46.1   1.0 Country Party 2
Democrat Party 0
independents 4,
others 0
2.5
7.8
9.7
1938     National Party 25 40.3 53 55.8 independents 2
others 0
3.9
1943     34 42.8 45 47.6 Democratic Labour 0 independents 1
others 0
4.3
5.4
1946     38 48.4 42 51.3 others 0 0.3
1949     46 51.9 34 47.2 others 0 1.0
1951     50 54.0 30 45.8 others 0 0.2
1954     45 44.3 35 44.1 Social Credit 0
others 0
11.1
0.5
1957     39 44.2 41 48.3 Social Credit 0
others 0
7.2
0.3
1960     46 47.6 34 43.4 Social Credit 0
others 0
8.6
0.4
1963     45 47.1 35 43.7 Social Credit 0
others 0
7.9
1.3
1966     44 43.6 35 41.4 Social Credit 1
others 0
14.5
0.4
1969     45 45.2 39 44.2 Social Credit 0
others 0
9.1
1.5
1972     32 41.5 55 48.4 Social Credit 0
Values 0
others 0
6.7
2.0
1.6
1975     55 47.6 32 39.6 Social Credit 0
Values 0
others 0
7.4
5.2
0.2
1978     51 39.8 40 40.4 Social Credit 1
Values 0
others 0
16.1
2.4
1.3
1981     47 38.8 43 39.0 Social Credit 2
Values 0
others 0
20.7
0.2
1.4
1984     37 35.9 56 43.0 Social Credit 2
NZ Party 0
Values 0
others 0
7.6
12.3
0.2
1.0
1987     40 44.0 57 48.0 Democrats [7] 0
NZ Party 0
Values 0
Mana Motuhake 0
others 0
5.7
0.3
0.1
0.5
1.4
1990     67 47.8 29 35.1 Democrats 0
Mana Motuhake 0
Greens 0
NewLabour 1
others 0
1.7
0.6
6.8
5.2
2.8
1993     50 35.1 45 34.7 Alliance [8] 2
NZ First 2
others 0
18.2
8.4
3.7

Table reference notes

[1] Party allegiances and labels were relatively fluid until the late 1930s. The figures from 1890 to 1935 are approximate only. Party allegiances were not included in official election returns until 1957.

[2] It’s difficult to determine the allegiances of the MPs representing the four Māori electorates from 1890 to 1902. We’ve listed these MPs as 'Others' in this column until 1902 and included them in the party figures from 1905.

[3] The Liberal 'Party' was loosely organised (especially at the national level) until at least 1899, and then fragmented in the 1920s. Some members contested the 1922 election as Liberal-Labour, and the 1925 election as National, while others still called themselves Liberals. These factions, joined by some Reform supporters, combined to fight the 1928 election as the United Party.

[4] ‘Conservative’ is the label Liberals gave to their opponents. Some ‘Conservatives’ described themselves as 'Reform' before the Reform Party became an organised national party in 1909.

[5] Seats and votes from 1908 to 1914 are approximate. Before the establishment of the second New Zealand Labour Party in 1916, various 'labour' candidates stood for the Socialist Party (first formed in 1901 to 1902), the Independent Political Labour League (established in 1905), local Labour Representation Committees, the first New Zealand Labour Party (1910 to 1912), the United Labour Party (1912 to 1914), the Social Democratic Party (1913 to 1916), or as 'independent labour'.

[6] The Ratana MPs formally joined Labour's caucus in 1936.

[7] Name changed from Social Credit.

[8] A coalition of the New Labour, Democrat, Green and Mana Motuhake parties.

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