1868 Westland Boroughs by-election
New Zealand by-election
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The Westland Boroughs by-election 1868 was a by-election held in the Westland Boroughs electorate during the 4th New Zealand Parliament, on 3 April 1868.
The by-election was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP William Moorhouse and was won by William Henry Harrison. On nomination day (1 April) Harrison and William Shaw were nominated.[1] The Westland Boroughs electorate was made up of the boroughs of Greymouth and Hokitika.[2] Harrison was a resident of Greymouth and was the editor of the Grey River Argus.[3] Shaw was the current Mayor of Hokitika, and proprietor of the West Coast Times.[4] After a show of hands in favour of Shaw (eight votes to four), Harrison demanded a poll.[1] William Harrison was subsequently elected two days later.[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | William Henry Harrison | 98 | 54.7 | ||
| Independent | William Shaw | 81 | 45.3 | ||
| Majority | 17 | 9.5 | |||
| Turnout | 179 | ||||
The polling was notable in that each candidate overwhelmingly dominated in their own borough, with Shaw taking 90% of the vote in Hokitika and Harrison all but one of the Greymouth votes.[6]
| Hokitika | Greymouth | |
| Shaw | 80 | 1 |
| Harrison | 9 | 89 |
