1983 Wellington City mayoral election
← 1980 8 October 1983 1986 →
Turnout38,856 (37.59%)
 
Candidate Ian Lawrence Helene Ritchie
Party Citizens' Labour
Popular vote 19,952 11,876
Percentage 49.28 30.56
Mayor before election

Sir Michael Fowler

 Elected Mayor

Ian Lawrence

The 1983 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1983, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including eighteen city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.

Background

The election saw deputy mayor Ian Lawrence voted in as the new Mayor of Wellington to replace Sir Michael Fowler who had retired. Lawrence retained the Mayoralty for the Citizens' Association, seeing off a challenge from high profile Labour Party councillor Helene Ritchie. Given Lawrence's quiet style and low profile compared to Ritchie's more marked public reputation, most commentators and pollsters were predicting a very close result.[1] The eventual outcome was a surprise to many with Lawrence winning by a margin exceeding 8,000 votes, with media dubbing him "Landslide Lawrence". Ritchie retrospectively blamed her loss on an "anti-woman vote".[2]

The 1983 election was also notable as it saw former Citizens' councillor Leone Harkness re-elected to the council as an independent candidate, the first time a candidate without an official party ticket had been elected to the council since Berkeley Dallard in 1950. It also saw Jenny Brough (later Harris) retain her seat on the council after defecting from Labour in 1982. It also marked the last time in Wellington where local body elections elected councillors at large.

Mayoralty results

1983 Wellington mayoral election[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' Ian Lawrence 19,952 49.28
Labour Helene Ritchie 11,876 30.56
Independent Leone Harkness 6,208 15.97
Independent Josie Bullock 643 1.65
Private Enterprise Frank Moncur 177 0.45 -0.35
Informal votes 244 0.62
Majority 8,076 20.78
Turnout 38,856 37.59
Results by locality
Locality Lawrence Ritchie Harkness Bullock Moncur
Onslow College 333 159 97 7 4
Johnsonville West School 228 64 56 4 0
Johnsonville Emergency Centre 122 127 36 3 1
Johnsonville Community Centre 243 162 61 4 1
Johnsonville School 298 163 113 3 1
Paparangi School 186 105 73 2 2
Rewa Rewa School 151 72 44 1 2
White's Garage 56 23 6 0 1
Bellvue School 161 63 41 3 0
Centennial Hall 375 211 102 3 2
Newlands Tennis Club 68 40 20 0 0
Wallace's Garage 49 33 23 2 0
Churton Park School 202 57 65 2 0
Downer & Co. 52 14 14 2 1
Dragon St. Cafeteria 17 18 2 0 0
Ohariu Hall 50 33 15 0 0
Raumati Beach School 12 9 6 0 0
Cashmere Avenue School 219 75 64 5 0
Khandallah Scout Hall 225 50 55 1 0
St Barnabas Parish Hall 139 36 36 0 2
Khandallah Town Hall 907 251 165 7 2
Khandallah Masonic Hall 177 50 38 3 1
Ngaio School 46 43 11 0 1
Ngaio Kindergarten 115 64 32 2 0
Ngaio Town Hall 519 266 149 8 7
Union Church Hall 98 47 26 2 1
Ngaio Playcentre 90 43 15 0 0
Chartwell School 90 32 16 5 0
Wilton School 180 121 57 11 1
Wadestown School 78 44 27 2 0
St Luke's Hall 428 235 172 18 0
Thorndon Masonic Hall 125 75 51 8 0
Talavera Tennis Club 33 35 11 3 0
St Andrew's Hall 105 63 32 2 0
Victoria University 95 116 46 12 1
Kelburn Church Hall 300 271 161 20 2
Kelburn Normal School 82 76 40 2 1
Presbyterian Church Hall 57 55 29 2 1
Methodist Church Hall 218 143 103 8 5
Northland School 132 108 52 6 1
Coad's Garage 110 47 24 1 2
Karori Masonic Hall 140 70 46 4 0
Sprott House 269 56 76 9 2
St Mary's Parish Hall 245 74 75 2 1
Karori School 643 174 178 10 1
St John's Methodist Hall 486 185 133 8 5
Karori Pavilion 176 80 80 7 1
Karori West School 407 202 150 7 2
Makara Community Centre 36 27 15 8 0
Macalister Park 94 58 25 3 0
Kingston School 67 23 14 0 0
Ridgeway School 144 86 49 7 0
Vogelmorn Public Hall 67 40 18 1 0
Brooklyn Baptist Hall 261 179 104 8 2
Brooklyn Community Centre 109 108 27 6 0
St Matthew's Hall 166 111 51 8 1
Aro Valley Community Hall 133 317 75 18 1
Webb St. Depot 127 118 39 7 0
Willis St. Clinic 84 73 25 3 0
St John's Church Hall 88 113 40 3 2
Wellington Cathedral 91 98 33 2 1
Wellington Girls' College 50 52 27 2 0
Queen Margaret College 106 42 29 2 0
Wesley Church Hall 35 33 19 2 1
Wellington Polytechnic 59 78 38 7 0
Samoan Assembly of God 121 184 41 7 6
Berhampore School 120 161 68 6 1
Island Bay Church Hall 306 184 88 21 2
Island Bay Surf Club 55 38 15 1 0
Island Bay School 170 115 51 13 1
St Hilda's Church Hall 298 135 69 10 5
Owhiro Bay School 73 76 24 3 2
Houghton Valley School 67 58 29 3 2
Church of the Transfiguration 62 59 41 4 1
Newtown Fire Station 84 141 30 4 5
Salvation Army Hall 169 157 48 6 1
Newtown School 195 312 83 11 9
Wellington Hospital 78 89 31 0 0
Southern Cross Scout Hall 55 37 11 3 1
Methodist Church Hall 143 156 51 6 1
Rongotai College 154 143 42 7 3
Maranui Surf Lifesaving Club 147 92 66 9 11
Lyall Bay School 198 99 59 10 5
St Giles' Hall 263 161 61 10 4
All Saints' Church Hall 107 37 12 1 1
Samoan Methodist Church Hall 339 190 124 21 8
Sea Cadet Hall 50 15 24 1 0
Haitaitai School 309 143 83 5 0
Roseneath Church Hall 92 37 36 4 0
St Barnabas Church Hall 143 76 47 1 4
Freyberg Pool 198 80 45 11 3
Central Fire Station 168 142 55 8 1
Congregational Church Hall 105 150 45 6 0
St Mark's Church Hall 98 57 35 3 1
Miramar South School 152 80 49 4 0
Miramar Central School 548 265 130 17 5
Miramar North School 126 90 44 4 0
Marist Brothers' School 271 113 78 9 3
Miramar Co-op. Hall 199 98 43 3 2
St Christopher's Hall 48 53 39 3 0
Strathmore Park School 324 159 69 5 1
Breaker Bay Progressive Assn. Hall 30 24 8 4 1
Seatoun School 438 89 73 9 0
St George's Hall 141 43 42 4 1
Worser Bay Life Saving Club 47 23 16 6 1
Worser Bay School 150 48 54 11 0
Town Hall 455 399 203 25 2
Postal votes 666 327 189 15 6
Hospital votes 124 99 21 6 8
Special votes 612 546 184 25 4
Total 19,952 11,876 6,208 643 177

Councillor results

1983 Wellington City Council election[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Citizens' Jenny Brough 20,019 51.52 +13.57
Labour Keith Spry 19,807 50.97 +5.16
Citizens' Rosemary Young-Rouse 19,766 50.86 +8.26
Labour Helene Ritchie 19,571 50.36 +2.42
Citizens' Gavin Wilson 19,166 49.32 +8.22
Independent Leone Harkness 18,478 47.55 +10.32
Labour Joe Aspell 18,272 47.02 +7.18
Citizens' Les Paske 18,236 46.93 +9.81
Citizens' Bryan Weyburne 17,939 46.17
Labour Ros Noonan 17,936 46.16 -0.28
Citizens' David Bull 17,567 45.21 -5.86
Labour Hazel Bibby 17,321 44.57 +5.53
Labour Tala Cleverley 16,901 43.49 +2.31
Citizens' Rex Nicholls 16,857 43.38
Labour Margaret Bonner 16,696 42.96
Citizens' Arthur Kinsella 16,490 42.43
Citizens' Ruth Gotlieb 15,622 40.20 +20.80
Labour Terry McDavitt 15,354 39.51
Citizens' Bruce Harris[nb 1] 15,163 39.02 -0.20
Citizens' Roger Ridley-Smith 14,967 38.51 +1.18
Labour Frank O'Flynn 14,931 38.42 -1.96
Citizens' Colin Dickie 14,712 37.86
Citizens' Peter Isaac 14,319 36.85
Citizens' Saul Goldsmith 13,944 35.88 +1.83
Labour Ken Boyden 13,920 35.82
Labour Allan Levett 13,235 34.06
Citizens' Sarah Lysaght 12,970 33.37
Citizens' Terry Dykes 12,904 33.20
Citizens' Michael Carney 12,780 32.89
Labour John Blincoe 12,321 31.70
Labour Paul Fitzgerald 12,282 31.60
Citizens' Joseph Kenneally 12,191 31.37
Labour Harry Holden 12,160 31.29
Labour John Gilberthorpe 11,986 30.84
Labour David Robinson 11,665 30.02 +0.94
Labour Geoff Turner 11,004 28.31
Labour Joe McTaggart 10,692 27.51 +0.20
Independent Josie Bullock 8,775 22.58
Independent Citizens' Eric Hughes 4,314 11.10
Private Enterprise Frank Moncur 3,228 8.30 +2.53
Independent John Antonius Elise Pell 2,244 5.77

Table footnotes:

  1. ^ Harris was appointed to fill the vacancy on the council in 1985 caused by Leone Harkness' resignation

References

  1. ^ Moran, Paul (28 September 1983). "Clear Choices in main-ticket mayoralty race". The Dominion.
  2. ^ Chetwin, Suzanne (24 May 1989). "Standing Alone". The Evening Post.
  3. ^ a b Dawson, P.L. (25 October 1983). Declaration of Result of Election (Report). Wellington City Council.
  4. ^ a b "Local Body Polls '83". The Evening Post. 10 October 1983.
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