Taranaki by-election, 1918

Taranaki by-election, 1918

10 October 1918 (1918-10-10)

Turnout 74.19%   Candidate Sydney George Smith John Connett Party Independent Labour Reform Popular vote 2,840 2,680

Member before election Henry Okey Reform Elected Member Sydney George Smith Independent Labour

The Taranaki by-election of 1918 was a by-election in the Taranaki electorate on the west coast of the North Island. It was held during the 19th New Zealand Parliament, on 10 October 1918. It was caused by the death of incumbent MP Henry Okey of the Reform Party and was won by Sydney George Smith, the son of previous Taranaki MP Edward Metcalf Smith,^[1] who stood as an independent Labour candidate. Smith supported the war effort unlike most Labour politicians, gaining him support of voters who likewise supported the war.^[2]

Result

The following table gives the election results:

Notes

References

• Bassett, Michael (1982). Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911–1931. Auckland: Historical Publications. ISBN 0-86870-006-1. 

« (1891–1911) «   By-elections in New Zealand in the multi-party era (1912–1938)   » (1939–1995) »
18th Parliament	Egmont, 1912 Grey, 1913 Lyttelton, 1913
19th Parliament	Dunedin Central, 1915 Bay of Islands, 1915 Taumarunui, 1915 Pahiatua, 1916 Hawke's Bay, 1917 Bay of Islands, 1917 Grey, 1917 Wellington North, 1918 Southern Maori, 1918 Grey, 1918 Wellington Central, 1918 Taranaki, 1918 Palmerston, 1918 Wellington South, 1918
20th Parliament	Bruce, 1920 Stratford, 1920 Bay of Plenty, 1920 Patea, 1921 Auckland East, 1921 Southern Maori, 1922 Dunedin North, 1922
21st Parliament	Tauranga, 1923 Oamaru, 1923 Franklin, 1925
22nd Parliament	Eden, 1926 Raglan, 1927
23rd Parliament	Bay of Islands, 1929 Hutt, 1929 Parnell, 1930 Invercargill, 1930 Waipawa, 1930 Western Maori, 1930 Hauraki, 1931
24th Parliament	Southern Maori, 1932 Motueka, 1932 Lyttelton, 1933 Buller, 1933 Lyttelton, 1935
25th Parliament	Manukau, 1936