26th Parliament of New Zealand | |||||||||||
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Overview | |||||||||||
Legislative body | New Zealand Parliament | ||||||||||
Term | 27 June 1939 – 26 August 1943 | ||||||||||
Election | 1938 New Zealand general election | ||||||||||
Government | First Labour Government | ||||||||||
House of Representatives | |||||||||||
Members | 80 | ||||||||||
Speaker of the House | Bill Barnard | ||||||||||
Prime Minister | Peter Fraser from 1 April 1940 — Michael Joseph Savage until 27 March 1940 † | ||||||||||
Leader of the Opposition | Sidney Holland — Adam Hamilton until 26 November 1940 | ||||||||||
Legislative Council | |||||||||||
Speaker of the Council | Mark Fagan — Sir Walter Carncross until 18 July 1939 | ||||||||||
Leader of the Council | David Wilson | ||||||||||
Sovereign | |||||||||||
Members | 34 (at start) 36 (at end) | ||||||||||
Monarch | HM George VI | ||||||||||
Governor-General | HE Rt. Hon. Sir Cyrill Newall from 22 February 1941 — HE Rt. Hon. The Viscount Galway until 3 February 1941 | ||||||||||
Sessions | |||||||||||
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The 26th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1938 general election in October of that year.
Main article: 1938 New Zealand general election |
The 1938 general election was held on Friday, 14 October in the Māori electorates and on Saturday, 15 October in the general electorates, respectively.[1] A total of 80 MPs were elected; 48 represented North Island electorates, 28 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates.[2] 995,173 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 92.9%.[1]
The 26th Parliament sat for an unusual five sessions by omitting the 1941 general election, and was prorogued on 30 August 1943.[3] A 1941 act extended the life of parliament to 1 November 1942,[4] and a 1942 act allowed extension to "one year from the termination of the present war",[5] although a general election was held in 1943.
Session | Opened | Adjourned |
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first | 27 June 1939 | 6 October 1939 |
second | 30 May 1940 | 6 December 1940 |
third | 12 March 1941 | 17 October 1941 |
fourth | 11 December 1941 | 12 December 1942 |
fifth | 24 February 1943 | 26 August 1943 |
The Labour Party had been in power since December 1935, and Michael Joseph Savage led the Savage Ministry.[6] The opposition had consisted of the United Party and the Reform Party, which merged in 1936 during the term of the 25th Parliament to form the National Party. The First Labour Government was confirmed at the 1938 general election with an increased majority, and the Savage Ministry remained until Savage's death on 27 March 1940.[7]
Savage was succeeded as Prime Minister by Peter Fraser, who formed the Fraser Ministry on 1 April 1940. The first Fraser Ministry resigned on 30 April 1940 and was reappointed, with some portfolios adjusted.[8] The second Fraser Ministry remained in power until its defeat by the National Party at the 1949 election.[9][10]
A War Cabinet was formed on 16 July 1940, which held the responsibility for all decisions relating to New Zealand's involvement in World War II. The War Cabinet was dissolved on 21 August 1945.[11] For some months in 1942, a War Administration was in place. Formed on 30 June and dissolved on 2 October, the War Administration had responsibility for all war matters, with the War Cabinet as its executive body.[11]
Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start | |
Labour Party | Michael Joseph Savage | 53 | |
National Party | Adam Hamilton | 25 | |
Independents | 2 |
Party | Leader(s) | Seats at start | |
Labour Party | Peter Fraser | 50 | |
National Party | Sidney Holland | 25 | |
Democratic Labour | John A. Lee | 2 | |
Independents | 3 |
The following table shows the initial composition of the 26th Parliament:
The following table shows the detailed results:
Key
Labour National Country Party Independent Independent Liberal
There were a number of changes during the term of the 26th Parliament.
Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner | |||
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Christchurch South | 1939 | 3 June | Ted Howard | Death | Robert Macfarlane | ||
Auckland West | 1940 | 18 May | Michael Joseph Savage | Death | Peter Carr | ||
Waipawa | 1940 | 16 November | Albert Jull | Death | Cyril Harker | ||
Waitemata | 1941 | 19 July | Jack Lyon | Death | Mary Dreaver | ||
Bay of Plenty | 1941 | 13 December | Gordon Hultquist | Death | Bill Sullivan | ||
Mid-Canterbury | 1942 | 27 January | Arthur Grigg | Death | Mary Grigg | ||
Hauraki | 1942 | 7 February | John Allen | Death | Andy Sutherland | ||
Temuka | 1942 | 7 February | Thomas Burnett | Death | Jack Acland | ||
Christchurch East | 1943 | 6 February | Tim Armstrong | Death | Mabel Howard | ||
Northern Maori | 1943 | 19 June | Paraire Karaka Paikea | Death | (by-election postponed by legislation)[55] |
Name | Year | Seat | From | To | ||
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John A. Lee | 1940 | Grey Lynn | Labour | Democratic Labour | ||
Bill Barnard | Napier | |||||
Gordon Coates | 1942 | Kaipara | National | Independent | ||
Bert Kyle | Riccarton |