1898 Mataura by-election
New Zealand by-election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mataura by-election, 1898 was a by-election held on 26 May 1898 during the 13th New Zealand Parliament in the rural lower South Island electorate of Mataura.
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26 May 1898
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| Turnout | 3,401 | ||||||||||||
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Background
The by-election was triggered after sitting Member George Richardson was declared bankrupt.[1] Robert McNab stated that had Richardson contested the election, he would not have accepted a nomination and allowed him to return unopposed.[2] McNab had previously represented the Mataura electorate from 1893 to 1896 when he was defeated by Richardson.[3]
Results
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Robert McNab | 1,894 | 55.68 | ||
| Independent | Wilfrid Francis Ward | 1,507 | 44.31 | ||
| Majority | 387 | 11.37 | |||
| Turnout | 3,401 | ||||
After winning the contest, McNab held the seat uninterrupted until 1908 when he was defeated.[3]
