The 1879 City of Auckland West by-election was a by-election held on 4 March 1879 in the City of Auckland West electorate during the 6th New Zealand Parliament. It was then a two-member electorate.
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the incumbent, Patrick Dignan, who had previously represented the electorate. He was a Catholic layman, and a supporter of denominational education.[1][2]
David Goldie was elected. He supported secular education, and his victory was headlined "Another election victory for Secularists".[3] Similarly the winner of the 1879 City of Nelson by-election was described as a "Secularist".
The following table gives the election result:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent | David Goldie | 776 | 74.83 | ||
Independent | Patrick Dignan | 261 | 25.17 | ||
Turnout | 1037 | ||||
Majority | 515 | 49.66 |