40th New Zealand Parliament

The 40th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Its composition was determined by the 1981 elections, and it sat until the 1984 elections.

The 40th Parliament was the third and final term of the third National Party government. Robert Muldoon, who served as both Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, remained in power. The Labour Party, led by former Prime Minister Bill Rowling, had made significant gains (actually winning the largest portion of the popular vote), but remained in opposition. The Social Credit Party was the only other opposition party in the 40th Parliament, holding two seats.

The 40th Parliament consisted of ninety-two representatives, the same as in the previous election. All of these representatives were chosen by single-member geographical electorates, including four special Māori electorates.

Initial composition of the 40th Parliament

The tables below shows the results of the 1981 general election:

Key

  National     Labour     Social Credit     Mana Motuhake  

Electorate results for the New Zealand general election, 1981.

Electorate	Incumbent		Winner		Majority	Runner up
General electorates
Albany		Don McKinnon			1,964		B Mockridge
Ashburton		Rob Talbot			3,655		A J Srhoy
Auckland Central		Richard Prebble			6,614		R D Reid
Avon		Mary Batchelor			7,820		C M McNicholl
Awarua		Rex Austin			2,341		R G Fitzgerald
Bay of Islands		Neill Austin			864		Les Hunter
Birkenhead		Jim McLay			2,104		H W Smith
Christchurch Central		Geoffrey Palmer			7,028		I G B Wilson
Clutha		Robin Gray			661		Clive Matthewson
Dunedin Central		Brian MacDonell			4,169		Mrs Nancy Ruth King
Dunedin North		Stan Rodger			4,733		C D Bleach
East Cape		Duncan MacIntyre			1,964		P A Dey
East Coast Bays		Gary Knapp			758		Don Brash
Eastern Hutt		Trevor Young			5.011		A J Duthie
Eden		Aussie Malcolm			117		I K Scott
Fendalton		Eric Holland		Philip Burdon	1,158		David Close
Gisborne		Bob Bell			150		Allan Wallbank
Hamilton East		Ian Shearer			1,188		L J Welch
Hamilton West		Mike Minogue			1,477		P O McCaffrey
Hastings		David Butcher			1,845		Hamish Kynoch
Hauraki		Leo Schultz		Graeme Lee	1,787		G O Miller
Hawkes Bay		Richard Harrison			2,430		M E (Mike) Cullen
Helensville		Dail Jones			216		Jack Elder
Heretaunga		Ron Bailey		Bill Jeffries	2,233		R A J Palmer
Horowhenua		Geoff Thompson			876		D G Page
Hunua		Winston Peters		Colin Moyle	996		Winston Peters
Invercargill		Norman Jones			1,592		Dougal Soper
Island Bay		Frank O'Flynn			3,938		D H Catley
Kaimai		Bruce Townshend			5,146		D J F Conway
Kaipara		Peter Wilkinson			1,029		N C Connachy
Kapiti		Barry Brill		Margaret Shields	495		Barry Brill
King Country		Jim Bolger			2,158		D H Mason
Lyttelton		Ann Hercus			3,892		Simon Stamers-Smith
Manawatu		Michael Cox			2,913		D G Kessell
Mangere		David Lange			5,806		J F Pettit
Manurewa		Roger Douglas			2,815		K T Ralph
Marlborough		Doug Kidd			1,643		G E Macann
Matamata		Jack Luxton			3,460		D R Mawdsley
Miramar		Bill Young		Peter Neilson	649		Bill Young
Mt Albert		Warren Freer		Helen Clark	3,907		Warren W Moyes
Napier		Gordon Christie		Geoff Braybrooke	3,009		K J Rose
Nelson		Mel Courtney		Philip Woollaston	698		Mel Courtney
New Lynn		Jonathan Hunt			4,874		R A Hanson
New Plymouth		Tony Friedlander			1,567		D W Duggan
North Shore		George Gair			3,969		P G Chambers
Ohariu		Hugh Templeton			1,567		N R Ely
Onehunga		Fred Gerbic			2,012		Sue Wood
Otago		Warren Cooper			4,893		B O Griffiths
Otahuhu		Bob Tizard			5,164		S McDowell
Pahiatua		John Falloon			7,569		Bill Sutton
Pakuranga		Pat Hunt			783		Neil Morrison
Palmerston North		Joe Walding		Trevor de Cleene	2,110		Brian Elwood
Papakura		Merv Wellington			3,215		J S Cheeseman
Papanui		Mike Moore			4,409		B S Keeley
Papatoetoe		Eddie Isbey			1,689		Roy McKeen
Pencarrow		Fraser Colman			4,065		Willard Amaru
Porirua		Gerard Wall			3,639		E A Brittain
Rangiora		Derek Quigley			932		C G M Hayward
Rangiriri		Bill Birch			3,004		R Hayward
Rangitikei		Bruce Beetham			2,376		P M Bardwell
Remuera		Allan Highet			5,105		Judith Tizard
Roskill		Arthur Faulkner		Phil Goff	2,525		C A Parsons
Rotorua		Paul East			1,544		Johnny W Lepper
St Albans		David Caygill			4,926		J D Baker
St Kilda		William Fraser		Michael Cullen	3,579		Stewart Clark
Selwyn		Colin McLachlan		Ruth Richardson	2,129		W E Woods
Sydenham		John Kirk			5,594		R R Bach
Tamaki		Robert Muldoon			5,153		Richard Northey
Taranaki		David Thomson			4,470		B J Heilihy
Tarawera		Ian McLean			2,442		Noel Scott
Tasman		Bill Rowling			2,246		E L Kramer
Taupo		Jack Ridley		Roger McClay	36		Jack Ridley
Tauranga		Keith Allen			2,232		T P Hills
Te Atatu		Michael Bassett			3,330		S Noble
Timaru		Basil Arthur			1,850		Jane Coughlan
Waikato		Lance Adams-Schneider		Simon Upton	4,661		N W Johnstone
Waipa		Marilyn Waring			2,768		J I Kilbride
Wairarapa		Ben Couch			1,546		T Gemmell
Waitakere		Ralph Maxwell			2,883		M R Gummer
Waitaki		Jonathan Elworthy			305		Jim Sutton
Waitotara		Venn Young			2,784		S K Young
Wallace		Brian Talboys		Derek Angus	6,558		O W Horton
Wanganui		Russell Marshall			1,668		Terry Heffernan
Wellington Central		Ken Comber		Fran Wilde	1,283		Ken Comber
West Coast		Kerry Burke			4,406		D J Truman
Western Hutt		John Terris			1,420		J W Tanner
Whangarei		John Elliott		John Banks	1,743		M E Penney
Yaldhurst		Mick Connelly			1,962		Mrs Margaret E Murray
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori		Paraone Reweti		Peter Tapsell	6,232		A Tahana
Northern Maori		Bruce Gregory			3,541		Matiu Rata
Southern Maori		Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan			8,665		N A Reedy
Western Maori		Koro Wētere			8,624		Eva Rickard

Table footnotes:

There were no by-elections held during the term of the 40th Parliament.

References

• Norton 1988, pp. ?.
• Gustafson 1986, p. 371.
• Bohan 2004, p. 67.
• Gustafson 1986, p. 379.