Selwyn by-election 1994
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The Selwyn by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Selwyn, a predominantly rural district in the middle of New Zealand's South Island. It took place on 13 August 1994, and was precipitated by the resignation from parliament of siting MP Ruth Richardson. Richardson was retiring from politics, having been removed as Minister of Finance the previous year.
The by-election was contested by all major parties. It was won by David Carter, the National Party candidate, and therefore did not change the distribution of seats in Parliament. In second place, and only around four hundred votes behind Carter, was the Alliance's John Wright, a result that surprised many commentators. National's traditional opponent, the Labour Party, placed a distant third. The fourth major candidate was from the New Zealand First party, Tim Shadbolt, who was actually the mayor of Invercargill at that time.
Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
David Carter | National Party | 8,916 | 42.32% |
John Wright | Alliance | 8,488 | 40.34% |
Marian Hobbs | Labour Party | 2,173 | 10.33% |
Tim Shadbolt | New Zealand First | 1,165 | 5.54% |
Rosemary Francis | Christian Heritage Party | 182 | 0.86% |
Warren Bryson | NORML | 39 | 0.19% |
Bruce Annan | Kiwis Against Further Immigration | 29 | 0.14% |
Tim Owens | McGillicuddy Serious Party | 26 | 0.12% |
Warwick Jones | Natural Law Party | 22 | 0.10% |
Kieron Daok | NZ Coalition | 10 | 0.05% |
Victor Bryer | Christ's Ambassadors Union | 2 | 0.01% |