Selwyn by-election, 1994

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 sitting MP Ruth Richardson. Richardson was retiring from politics, having been removed as Minister of Finance the previous year.

The by-election was significant, as National held on to the majority of the House of Representatives by only one seat (50 to 49). This meant the party would have been unseated as the government if it failed to retain the seat, and it would have required the formation of a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement with New Zealand First or the Alliance to maintain governance (a snap general election to reinforce National's mandate was not possible due electorate boundaries for the new Mixed Member Proportional voting system not being fully implemented yet).

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 the Mayor of Invercargill at that time.