The 1999 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance. This marked an end to nine years of National Party government, and the beginning of the administration which is still in power today.
Preceded by: 1996 election | New Zealand elections |
Followed by: 2002 election |
Table of contents |
2 The election 3 Summary of results 4 Detailed results 5 External links |
Background
Before the election, the National Party had an unstable hold on power. After the 1996 elections, National had formed a coalition with the populist New Zealand First Party and its controversial leader, Winston Peters. Gradually, however, the relationship between the two parties declined, and Peters took his party out of the coalition. A number of New Zealand First MPs however, deserted Peters, establishing themselves as independents or as members of newly established parties. By forming agreements with these MPs, National was able to keep itself in office, but its control was often unsteady.
The Labour Party, which had been in Opposition since losing the 1990 elections, presented a strong challenge, particularly due to its agreement with the smaller Alliance party. The two had not previously enjoyed good relations, primarily due to the presence of the NewLabour Party as one of the Alliance's key members. NewLabour had been established by Jim Anderton, a former Labour MP who quit the party in protest over the economic reforms of Roger Douglas, which were often blamed for Labour's election loss in 1990. Gradually, as the Labour Party withdrew from "Rogernomics", the Alliance (led by Anderton) reduced its hostility towards Labour, but it was not until shortly before the 1999 election that a formal understanding was reached regarding a possible left-wing coalition. This agreement was deemed a necessary step towards building a credible alternative to the National Party.
The National Party, while not performing exceptionally poorly, failed to gain enough support to keep it in power. It won a total of thirty-nine seats, ten less than the Labour Party. ACT New Zealand, a potential coalition partner for National, gained nine seats - while this was an increase on ACT's previous achievements, it would not have been sufficient to give National victory. National's former coalition partner, New Zealand First, performed poorly, with voters punishing it for the problems in the last government. The party gained less than 5% of the vote, and so would have been removed from parliament had Winston Peters not retained his electorate of Tauranga (something he did by only sixty-three votes). None of the MPs who deserted New Zealand First were returned to parliament.The election
The election was carried out on the 27th of November. 2,509,365 people were registered to vote for the elections, and turnout was 84.1%. This was the lowest turnout for some time, although it would drop further in the 2002 elections. A total of 679 candidates stood for electorate seats, representing thirty-six parties. 760 candidates were put forward on party lists, representing twenty-two parties.Summary of results
The 1999 election saw the Labour Party win forty-nine seats in parliament. When combined with the ten seats won by the Alliance, the coalition was two seats short of an absolute majority. It was able to form a government with support from the Green Party, which entered parliament for the first time as an independent party (having previously been a part of the Alliance). The Green Party's entry to parliament was by a narrow margin, however - in order to gain seats, it needed to either win 5% of the party vote or win an electorate seat, neither of which the party appeared likely to do. However, when all special votes (that is, votes cast by people who were not able to attend a polling station normally) were counted, the Greens had narrowly reached not one but both targets - the party's co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons won the electorate of Coromandel, and the party gained 5.16% of the vote.
Party | Electorate candidates | List candidates | List votes | Percentage of list votes | Total seats won | Seat breakdown
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Labour Party | 67 | 65 | 800,199 | 38.74% | 49 | 41 electorate seats, 8 list seats
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National Party | 65 | 64 | 629,932 | 30.50% | 39 | 22 electorate seats, 17 list seats
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Alliance | 66 | 60 | 159,859 | 7.74% | 10 | 1 electorate seat, 9 list seats
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ACT | 61 | 65 | 145,493 | 7.04% | 9 | list seats only
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Green Party | 50 | 54 | 106,560 | 5.16% | 7 | 1 electorate seat, 6 list seats
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New Zealand First | 67 | 40 | 87,926 | 4.26% | 5 | 1 electorate seat, 4 list seats
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Christian Heritage Party | 65 | 64 | 49,154 | 2.38% | - | -
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Future New Zealand | 36 | 25 | 23,033 | 1.12% | - | -
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Legalise Cannabis Party | 11 | 17 | 22,687 | 1.10% | - | -
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United Party | 22 | 12 | 11,065 | 0.54% | 1 | 1 electorate seat
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Libertarianz | 0 | 30 | 5,949 | 0.29% | - | -
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Mana Maori | 7 | 28 | 5,190 | 0.25% | - | -
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Mauri Pacific | 20 | 22 | 4,008 | 0.19% | - | -
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Animals First | 16 | 65 | 3,244 | 0.16% | - | -
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McGillicuddy Serious Party | 16 | 65 | 3,191 | 0.15% | - | -
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South Island Party | 5 | 7 | 2,912 | 0.14% | - | -
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Natural Law Party | 30 | 53 | 1,712 | 0.08% | - | -
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One New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 1,311 | 0.06% | - | -
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NMP | 15 | 19 | 936 | 0.05% | - | -
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Freedom Movement | 5 | 40 | 454 | 0.02% | - | -
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Peoples Choice Party | 2 | 2 | 387 | 0.02% | - | -
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Republican Party | 5 | 7 | 292 | 0.01% | - | -
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In addition to the registered parties listed above, some groups participated in the election without submitting party lists. Many of these were unregistered parties, lacking the necessary membership numbers for submitting a party list. There were, however, three registered ones that did not, for whatever reason, submit a party list. In total, fourteen parties participated with electorate candidates only. By number of votes received, the most significant parties to do this were Te Tawharau (registered), Mana Wahine Te Ira Tangata (registered), the Equal Rights Party (unregistered), the Piri Wiri Tua Movement (unregistered), and the Asia Pacific United Party (registered). None of these parties were successful. There were also thirty-six independent candidates, also unsuccessful.
Albany:
Murray McCully
Manukau East:
Ross Robertson
Tamaki:
Clem Simich
Aoraki:
Jim Sutton
Manurewa:
George Hawkins
Taranaki-King Country:
Shane Ardern
Auckland Central:
Judith Tizard
Maungakiekie:
Mark Gosche
Taupo:
Mark Burton
Banks Peninsula:
Ruth Dyson
Mount Albert:
Helen Clark
Tauranga:
Winston Peters
Bay of Plenty:
Tony Ryall
Mount Roskill:
Phil Goff
Te Atatu:
Chris Carter
Christchurch Central:
Tim Barnett
Napier:
Geoff Braybrooke
Titirangi:
David Cunliffe
Christchurch East:
Lianne Dalziel
Nelson:
Nick Smith
Tukituki:
Rick Barker
Clutha-Southland:
Bill English
New Plymouth:
Harry Duynhoven
Waimakariri:
Clayton Cosgrove
Coromandel:
Jeanette Fitzsimons
North Shore:
Wayne Mapp
Wairarapa:
Georgina Beyer
Dunedin North:
Pete Hodgson
Northcote:
Anne Hartley
Waitakere:
Brian Neeson
Dunedin South:
David Benson-Pope
Northland:
John Carter
Wellington Central:
Marian Hobbs
East Coast:
Janet Mackey
Ohariu-Belmont:
Peter Dunne
West Coast-Tasman:
Damien O'Connor
Epsom:
Richard Worth
Otago:
Gavan Herlihy
Wanganui:
Jill Pettis
Hamilton East:
Tony Steel
Otaki:
Judy Keall
Whangarei:
Phil Heatley
Hamilton West:
Martin Gallagher
Pakuranga:
Maurice Williamson
Wigram:
Jim Anderton
Hunua:
Warren Kyd
Palmerston North:
Steve Maharey
Hauraki:
John Tamihere
Of the sixty-seven electorates in the 1999 elections, a majority (forty-one) were won by the opposition Labour Party. Included in Labour's total are the Maori seats, which it managed to regain after losing them to New Zealand First in the previous elections. The governing National Party won twenty-two electorate seats, slightly less than a third of the total.
Four minor parties managed to win electorate seats. This proved important, for some - neither New Zealand First nor United would have entered parliament if not for Winston Peters and Peter Dunne retaining their seats. Jim Anderton also retained his seat. The Greens won their first (and, so far, only) electorate seat when Jeanette Fitzsimons took Coromandel. Hutt South:
Trevor Mallard
Port Waikato:
Paul Hutchison
Ikaroa-Rawhiti:
Parekura Horomia
Ilam:
Gerry Brownlee
Rakaia:
Jenny Shipley
Te Tai Hauauru:
Nanaia Mahuta
Invercargill:
Mark Peck
Rangitikei:
Simon Power
Te Tai Tokerau:
Dover Samuels
Kaikoura:
Lynda Scott
Rimutaka:
Paul Swain
Te Tai Tonga:
Mahara Okeroa
Karapiro:
Lindsay Tisch
Rodney:
Lockwood Smith
Waiariki:
Mita Ririnui
Mana:
Graham Kelly
Rongotai:
Annette King
Mangere:
Taito Philip Field
Rotorua:
Stephanie ChadwickExternal links