By-elections in New Zealand occur to fill vacant seats in the New Zealand Parliament. They can be caused by the death, resignation, or expulsion of a sitting electorate MP. (Note that list MPs do not have geographic districts in which a by-election can be held — if a list MP's seat becomes vacant, it is filled by the next person on his or her party's list.) A by-election need not be held if a general election is scheduled to be held within six months.
Today, by-elections are not particularly common — there has been only one in the current term, and there were none in the previous term. Historically, however, they have been considerably more frequent — the 2nd Parliament, for example, saw at least twenty by-elections, despite there being only thirty-seven seats.
The following is an incomplete table of previous by-elections in New Zealand. Of interest, perhaps, is that it contains at least four subsequent Prime Ministers.
See also: New Zealand elections
| Election
| Date
| Winner
|
| 1854 City of Auckland by-election
| 4 August 1854
| William Brown
|
| 1854 Nelson by-election
| 19 June 1854
| Samuel Stephens
|
| 1854 Waimea by-election
| 21 June 1854
| William Travers
|
| 1913 Grey by-election
| 24 July 1913
| Paddy Webb (Social Democrats)
|
| 1913 Lyttelton by-election
| 1913
| James McCombs (Social Democrats)
|
| 1932 Motueka by-election
| 1 December 1932
| Keith Holyoake (Reform)
|
| 1933 Lyttelton by-election
| 1933
| Elizabeth McCombs (Labour)
|
| 1951 Brooklyn by-election
| 17 February 1951
| Arnold Nordmeyer (Labour)
|
| 1953 Dunedin North by-election
| 1953
| Ethel McMillan (Labour)
|
| 1956 Riccarton by-election
| 1956
| Mick Connelly (Labour)
|
| 1957 Bay of Plenty by-election
| 1957
| Percy Allen (National)
|
| 1962 Buller by-election
| 1962
| Bill Rowling (Labour)
|
| 1962 Timaru by-election
| 1962
| Basil Arthur (Labour)
|
| 1962 Waitaki by-election
| 1962
| Allan Dick (National)
|
| 1963 Otahuhu by-election
| 1963
| Bob Tizard (Labour)
|
| 1967 Eastern Maori by-election
| 1967
| Paraone Rewiti (Labour)
|
| 1967 Fendalton by-election
| 1967
| Eric Holland (National)
|
| 1967 Palmerston North by-election
| 1967
| Joe Walding (Labour)
|
| 1967 Petone by-election
| 1967
| Fraser Colman (Labour)
|
| 1967 Southern Maori by-election
| 1967
| Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan (Labour)
|
| 1974 Sydenham by-election
| 1974
| John Kirk (Labour)
|
| 1977 Mangere by-election
| 26 March 1977
| David Lange (Labour)
|
| 1977 Pahiatua by-election
| 1977
| John Falloon (National)
|
| 1978 Rangitikei by-election
| 1978
| Bruce Beetham (Social Credit)
|
| 1979 Christchurch Central by-election
| 1979
| Geoffrey Palmer (Labour)
|
| 1980 East Coast Bays by-election
| 1980
| Gary Knapp (Social Credit)
|
| 1980 Northern Maori by-election
| 1980
| Bruce Gregory (Labour)
|
| 1980 Onehunga by-election
| 1980
| Frank Gerbic (Labour)
|
| 1985 Timaru by-election
| 15 June 1985
| Maurice McTigue (National)
|
| 1992 Tamaki by-election
| 15 February 1992
| Clem Simich (National)
|
| 1992 Wellington Central by-election
| 12 December 1992
| Chris Laidlaw (Labour)
|
| 1993 Tauranga by-election
| 17 April 1993
| Winston Peters (Independent)
|
| 1994 Selwyn by-election
| 13 August 1994
| David Carter (National)
|
| 1998 Taranaki-King Country by-election
| 2 May 1998
| Shane Ardern (National)
|
| 2004 Te Tai Hauauru by-election
| 10 July 2004
| Tariana Turia (Maori Party)
|
