Term of the Parliament of New Zealand
The 24th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It opened on 23 February 1932, following the 1931 election. It was dissolved on 1 November 1935 in preparation for the 1935 election. The 24th Parliament was extended by one year because the 1935 election was held later than anticipated due to the ongoing depression, similarly the 1919, and the 1943 elections were held two years late, having been postponed during World War I and World War II respectively.
The Prime Minister during the 24th Parliament was George Forbes, leader of the United Party. Many commentators at the time, however, alleged that Gordon Coates, leader of the larger Reform Party, had the greater influence.
The 24th Parliament consisted of eighty representatives, each elected from separate geographical electorates.
Ministries
The 24th Parliament was led by a coalition of the Reform Party and the United Party; Reform had twenty-eight seats, United had nineteen, and there were four pro-coalition independents. The primary opposition was from the Labour Party, which had twenty-four seats. The small Country Party had one seat, and there were four non-aligned independents. The distribution of seats between three large parties (also a feature of the previous parliament) was relatively unusual, as New Zealand tended towards a two-party system at the time.
The coalition government had been formed on 22 September 1931 during the term of the previous Parliament. During the difficult times of the Great Depression, Forbes had wanted to form a grand coalition with the Labour Party and the Reform Party. Labour refused, but Reform went into a coalition government with United from September 1931.[2]
Members
Initial MPs
The following table shows the detailed results:
Key
Reform
Labour
United
Country Party
Independent Liberal
Ratana
Independent
Electorate results for the 1931 New Zealand general election
Electorate
|
Incumbent
|
Winner
|
Majority
|
Runner up
|
General electorates
|
Auckland Central
|
|
Bill Parry
|
3,793[6]
|
|
Harold Penfound Congdon
|
Auckland East
|
|
James Donald
|
|
Bill Schramm
|
2,256[7]
|
|
Harold Percy Burton
|
Auckland Suburbs
|
|
Rex Mason
|
1,223
|
|
Richard Herbert Marryatt[8]
|
Auckland West
|
|
Michael Joseph Savage
|
4,517
|
|
Hugh Ross Mackenzie[8]
|
Avon
|
|
Dan Sullivan
|
3,039
|
|
Harben Robert Young
|
Awarua
|
|
Philip De La Perrelle
|
2,148
|
|
Norman McIntyre[9]
|
Bay of Islands
|
|
Harold Rushworth
|
1,209
|
|
Allen Bell
|
Bay of Plenty
|
|
Kenneth Williams
|
Uncontested
|
Buller
|
|
Harry Holland
|
3,631
|
|
John Menzies[10]
|
Central Otago
|
|
William Bodkin
|
2,516
|
|
Charles Todd
|
Chalmers
|
|
Alfred Ansell
|
172
|
|
Norman Hartley Campbell
|
Christchurch East
|
|
Tim Armstrong
|
3,206
|
|
George Frederick Allen
|
Christchurch North
|
|
Henry Holland
|
2,077
|
|
Elizabeth McCombs
|
Christchurch South
|
|
Ted Howard
|
2,798[11]
|
|
Charlie McCully[12]
|
Clutha
|
|
Fred Waite
|
|
Peter McSkimming
|
1,530
|
|
Fred Waite
|
Dunedin Central
|
|
Charles Statham
|
262
|
|
Peter Neilson
|
Dunedin North
|
|
Jim Munro
|
524
|
|
John McCrae[13][14]
|
Dunedin South
|
|
William Taverner
|
|
Fred Jones
|
3,644
|
|
William Taverner
|
Dunedin West
|
|
William Downie Stewart Jr
|
924
|
|
John Gilchrist
|
Eden
|
|
Arthur Stallworthy
|
1,270[11]
|
|
Bill Anderton
|
Egmont
|
|
Charles Wilkinson
|
1,308
|
|
F. Gawith
|
Franklin
|
|
Jack Massey
|
2,457
|
|
Harry Oswald Mellsop[15]
|
Gisborne
|
|
Douglas Lysnar
|
|
David Coleman
|
317[11]
|
|
Douglas Lysnar
|
Grey Lynn
|
|
John Fletcher
|
|
John A. Lee
|
3,242[6]
|
|
John Fletcher
|
Hamilton
|
|
Alexander Young
|
3,072[16]
|
|
Hubert Beebe
|
Hauraki
|
|
Walter William Massey
|
2,750[6]
|
|
Charles Robert Petrie
|
Hawke's Bay
|
|
Hugh Campbell
|
2,259
|
|
Ted Cullen[17]
|
Hurunui
|
|
George Forbes
|
3,953
|
|
R. J. Logan[18]
|
Hutt
|
|
Walter Nash
|
2,823
|
|
James Kerr[nb 1]
|
Invercargill
|
|
Vincent Ward
|
|
James Hargest
|
508
|
|
William McChesney
|
Kaiapoi
|
|
Richard Hawke
|
1,414
|
|
John Archer[19]
|
Kaipara
|
|
Gordon Coates
|
2,084
|
|
Albert Edward Robinson[20]
|
Lyttelton
|
|
James McCombs
|
32
|
|
Frederick Willie Freeman[21]
|
Manawatu
|
|
Joseph Linklater
|
2,246
|
|
Lorrie Hunter
|
Manukau
|
|
Bill Jordan
|
3,394[11]
|
|
Stanley Rickards[8]
|
Marsden
|
|
Alfred Murdoch
|
2,942
|
|
Jim Barclay
|
Masterton
|
|
George Sykes
|
1,951
|
|
Peter Butler
|
Mataura
|
|
David McDougall
|
943
|
|
Thomas Golden[22]
|
Mid-Canterbury
|
|
David Jones
|
|
Jeremiah Connolly
|
136[23]
|
|
David Jones
|
Motueka
|
|
George Black
|
517
|
|
Keith Holyoake
|
Napier
|
|
Bill Barnard
|
1,456
|
|
John Butler
|
Nelson
|
|
Harry Atmore
|
100
|
|
Herbert Everett[24]
|
New Plymouth
|
|
Sydney George Smith
|
3,472
|
|
William Sheat
|
Oamaru
|
|
John Andrew MacPherson
|
1,046[11]
|
|
John Kirkness
|
Oroua
|
|
John Cobbe
|
Uncontested
|
Otaki
|
|
William Hughes Field
|
1,321
|
|
Jim Thorn
|
Pahiatua
|
|
Alfred Ransom
|
Uncontested
|
Palmerston
|
|
Jimmy Nash
|
1,245
|
|
Joe Hodgens
|
Parnell
|
|
Bill Endean
|
4,821[6]
|
|
John William Yarnall
|
Patea
|
|
Harold Dickie
|
3,495
|
|
W. G. Simpson
|
Raglan
|
|
Lee Martin
|
|
Stewart Reid
|
806
|
|
Lee Martin
|
Rangitikei
|
|
James Thomas Hogan
|
|
Alexander Stuart
|
15
|
|
James Thomas Hogan
|
Riccarton
|
|
Bert Kyle
|
589
|
|
Archibald Albany McLachlan[nb 2]
|
Roskill
|
|
George Munns
|
|
Arthur Shapton Richards
|
171[6]
|
|
William John Holdsworth[25]
|
Rotorua
|
|
Cecil Clinkard
|
57
|
|
Alexander Moncur
|
Stratford
|
|
William Polson
|
1,518
|
|
J W McMillan[nb 3]
|
Tauranga
|
|
Charles Macmillan
|
658
|
|
Bill Sullivan[nb 4]
|
Temuka
|
|
Thomas Burnett
|
1,237
|
|
Thomas Herbert Langford
|
Thames
|
|
Albert Samuel
|
464
|
|
John Sommerville Montgomerie[27]
|
Timaru
|
|
Clyde Carr
|
820
|
|
Herbert N. Armstrong[28][nb 5]
|
Waikato
|
|
Frederick Lye
|
981
|
|
Solomon Netheim Ziman[nb 6]
|
Waimarino
|
|
Frank Langstone
|
591
|
|
William Henry Wackrow
|
Waipawa
|
|
Albert Jull[nb 7]
|
386
|
|
John Davies Ormond, Jr.[nb 8]
|
Wairarapa
|
|
Thomas McDonald
|
|
Alex McLeod
|
616
|
|
Thomas McDonald
|
Wairau
|
|
Edward Healy
|
1,424
|
|
William Girling
|
Waitaki
|
|
John Bitchener
|
885
|
|
Alexander McLean Paterson[30]
|
Waitemata
|
|
Alexander Harris
|
2,378[6]
|
|
Arthur Osborne[31]
|
Waitomo
|
|
Walter Broadfoot
|
Uncontested
|
Wallace
|
|
Adam Hamilton
|
2,842
|
|
Peter Gilfedder[32]
|
Wanganui
|
|
Bill Veitch
|
590
|
|
Bill Rogers
|
Wellington Central
|
|
Peter Fraser
|
2,471[33]
|
|
Robert Darroch
|
Wellington East
|
|
Bob Semple
|
593[33]
|
|
Thomas Forsyth
|
Wellington North
|
|
Charles Chapman
|
1,061[33]
|
|
George Troup
|
Wellington South
|
|
Robert McKeen
|
2,659
|
|
Will Appleton[34]
|
Wellington Suburbs
|
|
Robert Wright
|
2,570[33]
|
|
Tom Brindle
|
Westland
|
|
James O'Brien
|
1,121
|
|
John Greenslade
|
Māori electorates
|
Eastern Maori
|
|
Āpirana Ngata
|
3,211
|
|
Pita Moko
|
Northern Maori
|
|
Taurekareka Henare
|
1,188
|
|
Paraire Karaka Paikea
|
Southern Maori
|
|
Tuiti Makitanara
|
19
|
|
Eruera Tirikatene
|
Western Maori
|
|
Taite Te Tomo
|
1,436
|
|
Toko Ratana
|
Table footnotes:
- Four of the eight independent MPs (Connolly, Hargest, McSkimming, and Polson) were aligned with the United–Reform Coalition, and are not classified as independents by some sources.
By-elections during 24th Parliament
There were a number of changes during the term of the 24th Parliament.
Summary of changes
- Tuiti Makitanara, the United MP for Southern Maori, died on 26 June 1932. The resulting 1932 by-election was won by Eruera Tirikatene, an independent candidate associated with the Rātana religious movement.
- George Black, the independent MP for Motueka, died on 7 October 1932. The resulting 1932 by-election was won by Keith Holyoake of the Reform Party.
- James McCombs, the Labour MP for Lyttelton, died on 2 August 1933. The resulting 1933 by-election Labour victory by his wife, Elizabeth McCombs, made her the first woman to win election to the New Zealand Parliament.
- Harry Holland, leader of the Labour Party and MP for Buller, died on 8 October 1933. The resulting 1933 by-election was won by Paddy Webb, also of the Labour Party.
- Elizabeth McCombs died on 7 June 1935, twenty-two months after her husband's death, and the resulting 1935 by-election returned her son, Terry McCombs.