Nelson by-election, 1976

The Nelson by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Nelson a predominantly urban seat at the top of the South Island.

The by-election occurred on 28 February 1976, and was precipitated by the death of sitting Labour Party MP and Speaker of the House Sir Stanley Whitehead on 9 January 1976.

The by-election was contested by all major parties. It was won by Mel Courtney, the Labour Party candidate, with a majority of 1505 (Courtney increased the majority Whitehead had achieved in the 1975 general election by an impressive 50 per cent-only three months after the National Party's landslide victory). Wellington's Dominion newspaper reported that: "The defeat was a shock to the super-confident National Party organisers, including some of the party's top officials who were predicting a 2000-vote National majority".

Mel Courtney, a 32-year-old supermarket proprietor, proved "an excellent choice" as a candidate, the victory at the polls vindicated the decision of the Labour Party's selection committee. Courtney stressed Nelson's needs as a community as the major theme of his campaign. He had "lived in Nelson for a number of years", was a Nelson City Councillor and struck a chord with electors: "Nelson is a unique place to live and consequently a local person (Mr Courtney) can best serve local interests" (1976 Survey).

Nelson by-election, 1976

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mel Courtney	8,418	48.4
	National	Peter Malone	6,913	39.7
	Values	Ms G. J. Struik	1,583	9.1
	Social Credit	R. Muller	452	2.6
	Imperial British Conservative	Mrs C. P. Weallens	38	0.2
Majority			1,505	8.7
Informal votes			66
Turnout			17,470	66.0
Registered electors			22,105
	Labour hold		Swing

References

• "The Nelson By-Election: Politics in a New Zealand Community" by Levine, S (ed.) in Politics in New Zealand: A Reader (Sydney: George Allen and Unwin, Australia, 1978)
• "Spending the Allowance" p. 49 in Political People by Dreaver, A.J. (Auckland: Longman Paul, New Zealand, 1978)