New Zealand general election 2002
The 2002 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst ever performance by the opposition National Party. Arguably the most controversial issue in the election campaign was the end of a moratorium on genetic engineering, strongly opposed by the Green Party. Some commentators have claimed that the tension between Labour and the Greens on this issue was a more notable part of the campaign than any tension between Labour and its traditional right-wing opponents.
Background
On June 12 the government announced that the country would hold a general election on July 27. This was several months earlier than was required, a fact which caused considerable comment. The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, claimed that an early poll was necessary due to the collapse of her junior coalition partner, the Alliance. Critics, however, claimed that Clark could have continued to govern, and that the early election was called to take advantage of Labour's strong position in the polls. Some commentators believe that a mixture of these factors was responsible.
Before the election, Labour Party held 49 seats in parliament. It governed in coalition with the smaller (and more left-wing) Alliance, which had 10 seats. It also relied on support from the Greens, but this was a largely informal arrangement, and the Greens were not a part of the administration itself. Opposing Labour were the National Party (centre-right), New Zealand First (radical centrist and nationalist), ACT New Zealand (strongly supportive of the free market), and United Future (centrist). Many opinion polls, however, showed that Labour was popular enough that it might conceivably win an absolute majority, leaving it able to govern without the support of smaller parties. Labour's dominance over National was such that for many people, the question was not whether Labour would win, but whether Labour would receive the absolute majority it sought.
The election
The election was carried out on schedule. At the time, there were 2,670,030 registered voters, the highest number for any election in New Zealand. However, only 77 per cent of these registered voters chose to cast a vote on election day, a considerable drop from previous elections. Many commentators cited Labour's dominance in the polls as a reason for this lack of voting. Many people saw the outcome as inevitable, and so did not bother to vote.
Summary of results
As most people expected, Labour was victorious. It did not, however, receive an absolute majority, gaining only 52 seats (eight seats short of the half-way mark). Labour's former coalition partner, the Alliance (which had splintered shortly before the election), was not returned to parliament. However, the new Progressive Coalition (now the Progressive Party) started by former Alliance leader Jim Anderton won two seats, and remained allied with Labour. The Greens, who were now distanced from Labour over the genetic engineering controversy, gained nine seats (an increase of two).
In general, it was a bad election for the parties of the right. The National Party, once referred to as "the natural party of government", suffered its worst ever electoral defeat, gaining only 21 per cent of the vote. ACT New Zealand, National's more right-wing neighbour, failed to capitalize on the exodus of National supporters, retaining the same number of seats as before. Instead, the most notable gains among opposition parties were made by two centrist parties. One of these was Winston Peters's New Zealand First party, a radical centrist and nationalist party opposed to immigration. Strong campaigning by Peters allowed the party to recover from its serious losses in the 1999 election. The other was United Future New Zealand party, a centrist party based on a merger of the United Party and the Future New Zealand party - primarily due to the performance of leader Peter Dunne, the party shot from having one seat to having eight seats.
Once the final distribution of seats was determined, it was clear that Labour would be at the centre of the government, and that it would be allied with the Progressives. However, this still left Labour needing support in matters of confidence and supply, as the two parties together fell short of an absolute majority. Labour expressed a preference for an "agreement" rather than a full coalition, hoping to establish an arrangement similar to the one that existed with the Greens prior to the election. Three realistic choices existed for a partner - the Greens, United Future, and New Zealand First. Labour had repeatedly ruled out deals with New Zealand First during the election campaign, and reaffirmed this soon after the election, leaving just the Greens and United Future as candidates. After a period of negotiation, Labour opted to ally with United Future, being unwilling to change their genetic engineering policies to secure the Green Party's support.
Labour and the Progressives remain in power, with support in confidence and supply votes from United Future.
Detailed results
National results
The table below displays data on the performance of all registered parties which submitted a party list. Parties are listed in order of the number of party votes they received.
Displayed on the table are:
- The number of electorate candidates the party put forward. These are candidates that attempt to win a seat by gaining a majority within a specific voting district.
- The number of candidates on the party's list. These are candidates who will enter parliament to bring the party up to the number of seats that it is entitled to (as determined by its share of the vote - see below). Note that many list candidates are also electorate candidates, being removed from the list if they are successful in their electorate. After all electorate winners have taken their seats, each party is "topped up" to its level of entitlement with the highest candidates remaining on the party list.
- The number of party (or list) votes a party won. These votes determine how many seats in parliament a party is entitled to.
- A representation of these party votes as a percentage of the total number cast.
- The number of seats a party actually received.
- How many of the seats won were electorate seats, and how many were list seats used to bring the party up to its entitled strength.
| Party
| Candidates
| List
votes
| Percentage
of list votes
| Total
seats won
| Seat breakdown
|
| Electorate
| List
|
| Labour Party
| 69
| 74
| 838,219
| 41.26%
| 52
| 45 electorate seats, 7 list seats
|
| National Party
| 69
| 65
| 425,310
| 20.93%
| 27
| 21 electorate seats, 6 list seats
|
| New Zealand First
| 24
| 22
| 210,912
| 10.38%
| 13
| 1 electorate seats, 12 list seats
|
| ACT
| 56
| 60
| 145,078
| 7.14%
| 9
| list seats only
|
| Green Party
| 57
| 65
| 142,250
| 7.00%
| 9
| list seats only
|
| United Future
| 63
| 60
| 135,918
| 6.69%
| 8
| 1 electorate seat, 7 list seats
|
| Progressive Coalition
| 61
| 61
| 34,524
| 1.70%
| 2
| 1 electorate seat, 1 list seat
|
| Christian Heritage Party
| 69
| 20
| 27,492
| 1.35%
| -
| -
|
| Outdoor Recreation NZ
| -
| 12
| 25,985
| 1.28%
| -
| -
|
| Alliance
| 61
| 48
| 25,888
| 1.27%
| -
| -
|
| Legalise Cannabis Party
| 7
| 12
| 12,987
| 0.64%
| -
| -
|
| Mana Maori
| 5
| 12
| 4,980
| 0.25%
| -
| -
|
| One New Zealand Party
| 9
| 10
| 1,782
| 0.09%
| -
| -
|
| NMP
| -
| 2
| 274
| 0.01%
| -
| -
|
In addition to the parties listed above, there were also smaller parties contesting the election. With the exception of the Libertarianz (a registered party that, for disputed reasons, did not submit a party list as it was entitled to), these parties were unregistered, lacking enough members to submit a list and receive party votes. They could, however, submit regular electorate candidates. Sixteen parties put forward electorate candidates without a party list - the most prominent of these were the aforementioned Libertarianz, the Equal Rights Party , Nga Iwi Morehu , and the Anti-Capitalist Alliance.
In addition, there were 18 independent candidates. None were elected, but one (Mere Mangu) gained second place.
Electorate results
Of the 69 electorates in the 2002 elections, a majority (forty-five) were won by the Labour Party. The opposition National Party won twenty-one electorate seats. Labour dominated the urban areas, where it has traditionally been strongest, while National performed best in rural areas. However, Labour's strong position in this election led to National losing ground in a number of its traditional strongholds. The loss of Otago electorate, a rural area, was one notable example.
Labour also dominated in the seven Maori seats. National gained second place in only one Maori electorate, with Labour's main rivals being the Mana Maori Movement, the Greens, and the Alliance.
Of the minor parties, only three managed to win electorates, mostly due to the strong personal following of the incumbents. United Future leader Peter Dunne retained his strong support in the Wellington electorate of Ohariu-Belmont, while New Zealand First leader Winston Peters managed to retain Tauranga. Progressive leader Jim Anderton retained the Christchurch seat of Wigram, which he had formerly held as a member of the Alliance.
List results
| Labour
| Michael Cullen
Jonathan Hunt
Margaret Wilson
Graham Kelly
Helen Duncan
Dave Hereora
Ashraf Choudhary
|
| Unsuccessful: Moana Mackey, Lesley Soper, Carol Beaumont, Max Purnell, David Shearer, Gill Boddy-Greer, Brendon Burns, Louisa Wall, David Maka, Hamish McCracken, Eamon Daly, Lesley Harry, Brenda Lowe-Johnson, Steven Ching, Leila Boyle, John Cheesman, Richard Pole, Paul Gibson, Margaret Hayward, Di Nash, Denise Mackenzie, Judy Hawkins, Dinesh Tailor, Kath Peebles, Mike Mora, Yani Johanson, Nathan Saminathan, Ola Kamel, Jan Noonan, Maureen Waaka, Lyndsay Rackley, Wayne Hawker
|
| National
| Roger Sowry
David Carter
Don Brash
Georgina Te Heuheu
Pansy Wong
Katherine Rich
|
| Unsuccessful: Hekia Parata, Gavan Herlihy, Bob Simcock, Allan Peachey, Sue Wood, Guy Salmon , Alec Neill, Belinda Vernon, Anne Tolley, Eric Roy, Arthur Anae, Ian Buchanan, Greg White, Marie Hasler, Annabel Young, Eric Liu, Tau Henare, Chester Borrows, Nicky Wagner, Leanne Jensen-Daines, Tim Macindoe, Wayne Marriott, Dan Gordon, Jeremy Sole, George Ngatai, Dale Stephens, Craig Foss, Glenda Hughes, Dave Scott, Weston Kirton, Hamuera Mitchell, Enosa Auva'a, Sylvia Taylor, Barry Nicolle, Paul Foster, Mita Harris, Brent Trewheela, Raewyn Bhana, Bill Karaitiana, Geoff Horton, Rodney Williams, Alan Delamere, Peter O'Brien, Rod O'Beirne
|
| New Zealand First
| Peter Brown
Brian Donnelly
Ron Mark
Doug Woolerton
Barbara Stewart
Pita Paraone
Craig McNair
Jim Peters
Dail Jones
Edwin Perry
Bill Gudgeon
Brent Catchpole
|
| Unsuccessful: Rob Harris, Dawn Mullins, Brett Webster, Gordon Stewart, Fletcher Tabuteau, Bob Daw, Dave Mackie, John Riley, John Bryce Geary
|
| ACT
| Richard Prebble
Rodney Hide
Muriel Newman
Stephen Franks
Donna Awatere Huata
Deborah Coddington
Ken Shirley
Gerry Eckhoff
Heather Roy
|
| Unsuccessful: Kenneth Wang, Paul King, Owen Jennings, Penny Webster, Andrew Davies, Dick Quax, Nigel Mattison, David Edward Olsen, Willie James Martin, Mary Hackshaw, John Thompson, Lech Beltowski, Joanne Reeder, Nicholas Cairney, Bruce Williams, Gerald Trass, Andrew Jollands, Bryce Bevin, Ron Scott, Dianne Mulcock, Shirley Marshall, Juanita Angell, John Peters, Glen Snelgar, Matt Ball, Ray Bassett, Carl Beentjes, Michael Coote, Brian George Dawson, Dianne Dawson, Ted Erskine-Legget, Simon Anthony Ewing-Jarvie, Ted Howard, Elizabeth Hurley, Dorothy King, Chris Newman, Chris O'Brien, Julie Pepper, Peter Phiskie, John Riddell, Robin Roodt, Ian Sage, Greg Sneddon, Graham Douglas Steenson, Ian Swan, Peter Talbot-King, Anthony Watson, John Waugh, Roland Weber, Trevor West, Smilie Wood
|
| Greens
| Jeanette Fitzsimons
Rod Donald
Sue Bradford
Nandor Tanczos
Sue Kedgley
Ian Ewen-Street
Keith Locke
Metiria Turei
Mike Ward
|
| Unsuccessful: Catherine Delahunty, Roland Sapsford, Meriel Anne Watts, Jon Carapiet, Richard Davies, Celia Wade-Brown, Cathy Olsen, Russell Norman, Janine McVeagh, Steffan Browning, Dayle Belcher, Kei Clendon, Craig Potton, David Musgrave, Deborah Martin, Te Ruruanga Te Keeti, Steve Abel, Sarah Millington, Calvin Green, Caro Henckels, Fliss Butcher, Peter Berger, Hana Blackmore, Gareth Bodle, Paul Bruce, Craig Carson, Terry Creighton, Jan Davey, Paul de Spa, Pip Direen, Ian Douglas, Gaye Dyson, Jeanette Elley, Don Fairley, Nick Fisher, Jo Francis, Richard Green, Caroline Greig, Lois Griffiths, Perce Harpham, David Hill, Laurie Hoverd, Stephen Lee, Kate Lowe, Paul Lowe, Rachel Mackintosh, Mary McCammon, Margaret McKenzie, Olivia Mitchell, Matt Morris, Chris Norton-Brown, Fraser Palmer-Hesketh, Di Pennell, David Rose, Christiaan Briggs, Jane Williams
|
| United Future
| Gordon Copeland
Bernie Ogilvy
Marc Alexander
Murray Smith
Larry Baldock
Judy Turner
Paul Adams
|
| Unsuccessful: Wayne Chapman, Andrew Kubala, Gray Eatwell, Bruce McGrail, Hassan Hosseini, Craig Hunt, Kevin Harper, Russell Judd, Anne Drake, Ian McInnes, Graham Butterworth, Andrea Deeth, Cindy Ruakere, Chris Bretton, Susanne Fellner, Jim Howard, Martyn Seddon, Tom Smithers, Ross Tizard, Grant Bowater, Steve Taylor, Graham Turner, Dave Fitness, Paul Duxbury, Richard Carter, Lee Edmonds, Stephen Russell, Sharee Adams, Lee Robertson, Rachel Smithers, Rob Moodie, Witana Murray, Frank Owen, Graeme Torckler, Denis Gilmore, Andrew Smith, Tony Bunting, Graeme Barr, James Te Kahupuku Hippolite, Mike Mitcalfe, Stephanie McEwin, Bruce Settle, Peter Collins, Todd Whitcombe, Joy Lietze, Gray Phillips, Chris Collier, Allan Smellie, Jesse O'Brien, Julee Smith-Mischeski, Vince Smith, Dennis Wells
|
| Progressive
| Matt Robson
|
| Unsuccessful: Grant Gillon, John Wright, Stephnie de Ruyter, Peter Campbell, Rosie Brown, Meng Ly, Susi Pa'o Williams, Jill Henry, Phil Clearwater, David Angus Wilson, Sue Elizabeth Wharewaka-Topia Watts, Pasene Tauialo-o-Lilimaiava, Nong Li, John Pemberton, Bruce Parr, Vivienne Shepherd, Trevor Lance Barnard, Russell Franklin, Annette Anderson, Adrian James Bayly, Victor Bradley, Lyndsay Brock, Robert Bryan, Christine Cheesman, Fleur Churton, David Culverhouse, Jamie Daly, Clare Dickson, Bob Fox, Russell Edwards, David Espin, Bill Henderson, Steven Charles Ihaia, Frede Jorgensen, Te Pare Joseph, Doreen Henderson, Toni Jowsey, Peter David Kane, C Kerr, John Kilbride, Martin Lawrence, Doug McCallum, Philippa Main, John Neill, Garry Oster, Ram Parkash, Dawn Patchett, Bob Peck, Jim Medland, Rob Shirley, Lynley Simmons, Heather Marion Smith, Arthur Toms, Gillian Dance, Hessel Van Wieren, Ross Weddell, Roger White, Barry Pulford
|
| Christian Heritage
| Unsuccessful: Graham Capill, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Vic Pollard, Dick Holland, Vic Jarvis, Gerald Barker, Ken Munn, Roger Payne, Ruth Jarvis, Nick Barber, Gavin Denby, Chris Salt, Ian Cummings, Grant Bradfield, McGregor Simpson, Rod Harris, Margaret Burgess, Mike Ferguson, Matthew Flannagan, Madeline Jane Flannagan
|
| Outdoor Recreation
| Unsuccessful: Lester Phelps , David O'Neill, Paul Check, Warren Sinclair, Henry Willems, Peter Ellery, Edwin Sylva, James Cook, Peter Gibbons, Michael Holmes, James Rudd, Harry Bimler
|
| Alliance
| Unsuccessful: Laila Harré, Willie Jackson, Matt McCarten, Liz Gordon, Tricia Cutforth, Gerard Hehir, Vern Winitana, Rebecca Matthews, Mike Treen, Naida Glavish, Robert Reid, Jill Ovens, Sam Huggard, Janice Panoho-Smith, Vernon Iosefa Tile, Julie Fairey, Gavin MacLean, Carolyn Payne-Harker, Kamaka Manuel, Mary-Ellen O'Connor, Maxine Boag, Moira Lawler, Len Richards, Ravaani Ghaemmaghamy, John Tuwhakairiora Tibble, Anna McMartin, Anna Sutherland, Hayley Rawhiti, Joseph Randall, Sean Gourley, Peter Wheeler, Val McClimont, Margaret Jeune, Dion Martin, Paula Henderson, Brendon Lane, Peter Jamieson, Fiona McLaren, Solly Southwood, Michael Gilchrist, Paul Protheroe, Justin Wilson, Karl Bartleet, Richard Wallis, Simon Shields, Craig Willis, Helen Mackinlay, Robert Van Ruyssevelt
|
| Legalise Cannabis
| Unsuccessful: Michael Appleby, Michael Britnell, Irinka Britnell, Dave Moore, Christine Mitchell, Jeanette Saxby, Paul John Michael McMullan, Judy Daniels, Judy Matangi, Paula Lambert, Sugra Morley, Peter Green
|
| Mana Maori
| Unsuccessful: Angeline Greensill, Ken Mair , Glenis Philip-Barbara, Tame Iti , Jacqui Amohanga, Rihi Vercoe, Mere Takoko, Tanima Bernard, Colleen Skerrett-White, Piripi Haami, Ngahape Lomax, Sharon Pehi-Barlow
|
| One New Zealand
| Unsuccessful: John Porter , Jim White, Alan McCulloch, Janet White, Richard Fisher, David Moat, Walter Christie, Gill Edwards, Peter Grove, John Bull
|
| NMP
| Unsuccessful: Mark Atkin, Brett Kenneth Gifkins
|
Summary of seat changes
- Electoral redistributions:
- A minor reconfiguration of electorates and their boundaries occurred between the 2002 election and the previous election. Five seats were abolished and seven were created, giving a net gain of two electorates.
- The seats of Albany, Hunua, Karapiro, Titirangi, and Hauraki (Maori) ceased to exist.
- The seats of Clevedon, East Coast Bays, Helensville, New Lynn, Piako, Tainui (Maori), and Tamaki Makaurau (Maori) came into being.
- Seats captured:
- By Labour: Hamilton East, Otago, and Waitakere were captured from National.
- By National: Coromandel was captured from the Greens.
- The seat of Wigram transferred from the Alliance to the Progressives due to a change of its MP's party affiliation.
- Seats transferred from departing MPs to new MPs:
- The seat of Rakaia, held by a departing National MP, was successfully won by a new National candidate.
- The seats of Mana, Napier, Otaki, and Te Tai Hauauru, all held by departing Labour MPs, were successfully won by new Labour candidates (although the departing Mana MP became a list MP and the departing Te Tai Hauauru MP returned to Parliament in another electorate).
- Labour list seats: Lost one (was 8, fell to 7)
- Retired: 1
- Became electorate MPs: 3
- Re-elected: 4
- Newly elected: 3 (including a former electorate MP)
- National list seats: Lost eleven (was 17, fell to 6)
- Retired: 4
- Re-elected: 5
- Not re-elected: 8
- Newly elected: 1
- New Zealand First list seats: Gained eight (was 4, rose to 12)
- Re-elected: 4
- Newly elected: 8
- ACT list seats: No change (was 9, remained 9)
- Re-elected: 7
- Not re-elected: 2
- Newly elected: 2
- Green list seats: Gained three (was 6, rose to 9)
- Re-elected: 6
- Newly elected: 3 (including a former electorate MP)
- Alliance list seats: Lost nine (was 9, fell to 0)
- Retired: 1
- Not re-elected: 3
- (Transferred to Progressives: 5)
- United Future list seats: Gained seven (was 0, rose to 7)
- Progressive list seats: Gained one (was 0, rose to 1)
- (Transferred from Alliance: 5)
- Retired: 2
- Re-elected: 1
- Not re-elected: 2
External link
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