View source for 1980 Onehunga by-election

{{short description|New Zealand by-election}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name      = 1980 Onehunga by-election
| country            = New Zealand
| flag_year          = 1980
| type               = presidential
| ongoing            = 
| previous_election  = 1978 New Zealand general election
| previous_year      = 1978 general
| next_election      = 1981 New Zealand general election
| next_year          = 1981 general
| election_date      = {{Start date|1980|06|07|df=y}}
| turnout            = 13,600 (50.23%)
| image1             = [[File:No image.png|100px]]
| candidate1         = [[Fred Gerbic]]
| party1             = New Zealand Labour Party
| popular_vote1      = '''6,543'''
| percentage1        = '''48.12''' 
| image2             = [[File:No image.png|100px]]
| candidate2         = [[Sue Wood]]
| party2             = New Zealand National Party
| popular_vote2      = 5,336
| percentage2        = 39.24
| image3             = [[File:No image.png|100px]]
| candidate3         = Thomas Keith Park
| party3             = Social Credit Party (New Zealand)
| popular_vote3      = 1,535
| percentage3        = 11.29
| title              = MP
| before_election    = [[Frank Rogers (politician)|Frank Rogers]]
| before_party       = New Zealand Labour Party
| after_election     = [[Fred Gerbic]] 
| after_party        = New Zealand Labour Party 
}}

The '''Onehunga by-election of 1980''' was a [[by-election]] for the {{NZ electorate link|Onehunga}} electorate during the [[39th New Zealand Parliament]]. It was prompted by the death of [[Frank Rogers (politician)|Frank Rogers]], a [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] MP. It was held on 7 June 1980<ref>{{cite book |title=Electoral Atlas of New Zealand |last=McRobie |first=Alan |year=1989 |publisher=GP Books |location=Wellington |isbn=0-477-01384-8 |page=119 }}</ref> and was won by [[Fred Gerbic]], also of the Labour Party.

It was held the same day as another [[1980 Northern Maori by-election|by-election in Northern Maori]].<ref>{{cite news |work =[[The New Zealand Herald]] |title=Same day for by-elections |date=26 April 1980 |page=1 }}</ref>

==Candidates==
===Labour===
As Onehunga was a safe Labour seat, there was a large amount of interest in the candidacy from the local Labour Party. In 1975 Rogers had won selection over 26 other aspirants for the seat after [[Hugh Watt]] retired. Initially, there was intense speculation that party president [[Jim Anderton]] (who was the proprietor of a business in the electorate) would stand.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=1 |title=Onehunga Asks: Which Way Will Mr Anderton Jump? |date=30 April 1980 }}</ref> However he eventually declined, fulfilling a promise he made at the 1979 party conference that he would not stand for parliament at, or before, the next election.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Auckland Star]] |title=Anderton says 'no bid' on Onehunga |date=2 May 1980 |page=3 }}</ref>

The candidates for the nomination were:<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]] |title=Labour's Onehunga line-up |date=9 May 1980 |page=1 }}</ref>

*[[Reg Boorman]], a [[Masterton]] painter and chairman of the {{NZ electorate link|Wairarapa}} Labour electorate committee
*[[Malcolm Douglas (politician)|Malcolm Douglas]], former MP for {{NZ electorate link|Hunua}} who unsuccessfully stood for the Onehunga nomination in 1975
*[[Fred Gerbic]], Auckland's Industrial Conciliator and former chairman of the {{NZ electorate link|New Lynn}} and {{NZ electorate link|Titirangi}} Labour electorate committees
*Lee Goffin, a school deputy-principal and secretary of the Royal Oak Branch who was Labour's candidate for {{NZ electorate link|Remuera}} in 1978
*Roy Harward, a teacher who was spokesman for the Citizens Action Group lobbying against a [[liquefied petroleum gas]] depot in Onehunga
*Colleen Hicks, the regional officer of the [[New Zealand Nurses Organisation|Nurses Association]] and Labour's candidate for {{NZ electorate link|East Coast Bays}} in 1978
*[[Dorothy Jelicich]], a Hamilton City Councillor and former MP for {{NZ electorate link|Hamilton West}}
*George Karaitiana, a local lawyer
*Hugh McCarthy, a pharmacist and chairman of the {{NZ electorate link|Hunua}} Labour electorate committee
*Murray McDowell, a local school teacher and chairman of Labour's Te Papapa Oranga branch
*Bill Morrison, a local purchasing clerk
*Morris Renouf, a teacher and secretary of the Onehunga Labour electorate committee
*Reverend Peter Wedde, a local Presbyterian minister

Despite the large number of candidates, three had emerged as frontrunners by the time nominations had closed; Douglas, Gerbic and Jelicich. The selection meeting was a rancorous one with many local members resentful of interventions by the party head office and candidates from outside the electorate.<ref name=Meddling>{{cite news |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=3 |title=Onehunga Opposes 'Outside' Meddling |date=9 May 1980 }}</ref> The local members were supportive of Douglas and Jelicich, with Labour leader [[Bill Rowling]] and the party hierarchy favouring Gerbic. The meeting took several hours, running so late that the decision had yet to be made at 1:30 am, the cut-off time for printing, and thus could not be reported in the morning newspapers.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=1 |title=Late Voting on Labour Candidates |date=10 May 1980 }}</ref> A floor vote of the local party members was clearly won by Douglas, with Jelicich second and Gerbic third. Two of the local members on the selection panel backed Jelicich with the other local member, and the three head office selectors voting for Gerbic, giving him the nomination. His success as the nominee was announced by Anderton to the 400 members present at 2:45 am.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]] |title=Gerbic Nod |date=10 May 1980 |page=1 }}</ref>

The chairman of the Onehunga Labour electorate committee, George Madden, was controversially denied a place on the selection panel. As such, there was allegations of the panel being "[[Branch stacking|stacked]]" to favour head office.<ref name=Meddling/> Several Onehunga Labour members went as far as to resign their membership, pledging to instead vote for the [[Social Credit Party (New Zealand)|Social Credit]] candidate in protest. Gerbic's selection was, however, openly welcomed by Anderton, Rowling and Sir [[Tom Skinner (trade unionist)|Tom Skinner]].<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]] |title=Election bid choice hailed by some, angers others |date=12 May 1980 |page=6 }}</ref>

===National===
Three people sought the [[New Zealand National Party|National Party]] candidature.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |page=2 |title=National Views Chances |date=1 May 1980 }}</ref>

*Ross Baxter, former chairman of National's {{NZ electorate link|Remuera}} electorate committee
*Stuart McDowell, former deputy chairman of National's {{NZ electorate link|Hamilton East}} electorate committee
*[[Sue Wood]], a high school teacher who was Women's vice-president of the National Party

Wood was chosen as the National candidate. She was strongly backed by leader [[Robert Muldoon]] and party president [[George Chapman (party president)|George Chapman]].<ref name="National Socred">{{cite news |work=[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|The Evening Post]] |title=National, Socred candidates |date=15 May 1980 |page=4 }}</ref>

===Others===
*Thomas Keith Park, a grocer who had contested Onehunga in 1978, was chosen again to represent the [[Social Credit Party (New Zealand)|Social Credit Party]].<ref name="National Socred"/>
*Dianne Paton, a local housewife and candidate for Onehunga in 1978, intended to stand for the [[Values Party]]. However her nomination was submitted to the returning officer after the nomination period had ended due to a "dates mix-up". While Paton could not contest the seat, she encouraged party supporters to [[Spoilt vote|vote informally]] by writing "Values" on the bottom of their ballot papers.<ref>{{cite news |work =[[The New Zealand Herald]] |title=Values Nomination Too Late |date=16 May 1980 |page=3 }}</ref>
*Stuart Perry, a newspaper sales manager from [[Papatoetoe]], ran as an independent candidate in protest of (in his view) politicians putting party allegiances ahead of their constituents.<ref name="Fair Fight">{{cite news |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |title='It's Been a Fair Fight' Say Hopefuls For Onehunga |date=4 June 1980 |page=3 }}</ref>
*Vince Terreni, an architect stood to draw attention to the clearance of [[Freemans Bay]] houses and redevelopment of the area by the [[Auckland City Council]]. He was the founding Chairman of Ponsonby-Freemans Bay Planning Association 1970–1972 and had contested {{NZ electorate link|Eden}} in 1978.{{sfn|Norton|1988|p=221}}

==Campaign==
Gerbic took a leave of absence from his job as an Industrial Conciliator, he was not classed as a civil servant under the electoral act and therefore not obliged to resign. He was however cautioned by the Minister of Labour [[Jim Bolger]] on the future of his position should he lose the election. Bolger's comments were in retaliation to Gerbic criticizing the government's handling of an industrial dispute during construction of the [[Mangere Bridge (bridges)|Mangere Bridge]].<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |title=Mr Gerbic Warned Job on Line |date=17 May 1980 |page=1 }}</ref> The controversy surrounding the Labour nomination notwithstanding, the campaign was free from any acrimony between the candidates and their supporters. The by-election was a low-key affair with little public interest.<ref name="Fair Fight"/> Consequently, turnout dropped over ten percent.{{sfn|Norton|1988|p=296}}

==Results==
The following table gives the election results:
{{Onehunga by-election, 1980}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last= Norton |first= Clifford |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science |year= 1988 |publisher=  Victoria University of Wellington |location=  Wellington |isbn= 0-475-11200-8}}

{{1939–1995 New Zealand by-elections}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Onehunga By-Election, 1980}}
[[Category:By-elections in New Zealand|Onehunga 1980]]
[[Category:1980 elections in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Politics of the Auckland Region]]
[[Category:June 1980 in Oceania]]
[[Category:1980s in Auckland]]