39th New Zealand Parliament

The 39th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand which began with the general election held on 25 November 1978, and finished with the general election held on 28 November 1981. The dates of the Muldoon Ministry were from 13 December 1978 to 11 December 1981.

39th Parliament of New Zealand
← 38th Parliament 40th Parliament →
Parliament House, Wellington
Overview
Legislative body	New Zealand Parliament
Term	16 May 1979 – 23 October 1981
Election	1978 New Zealand general election
Government	Third National Government
House of Representatives
Members	92
Speaker of the House	Richard Harrison
Leader of the House	David Thomson
Prime Minister	Robert Muldoon
Leader of the Opposition	Bill Rowling
Sovereign
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	David Beattie from 6 November 1980 — Keith Holyoake until 25 October 1980
Sessions
1st 16 May 1979 – 14 December 1979 2nd 15 May 1980 – 12 December 1980 3rd 28 May 1981 – 23 October 1981

The Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon of the National Party, led the Third National Government from 1975 to 1984.

Overview of seats

The table below shows the number of MPs in each party following the 1978 election and at dissolution:

Affiliation		Members
		At 1978 election	At dissolution
	National	51	50
Government total
	Labour	40	40
	Social Credit	1	2
Opposition total		41	42
Total		92	92
Working Government majority		10	8

Notes

• The Working Government majority is calculated as all Government MPs less all other parties.

Initial composition of the 39th Parliament

The tables below shows the results of the 1978 general election:

Key

  National   Labour   Social Credit

Electorate results for the 1978 New Zealand general election

Electorate	Incumbent		Winner		Majority	Runner up
General electorates
Albany	New electorate			Don McKinnon	1,159		David Rankin
Ashburton	New electorate			Rob Talbot	3.005		John Srhoy
Auckland Central		Richard Prebble			5,284		Maire Cole
Avon		Mary Batchelor			8,215		Tom George
Awarua		Rex Austin			1,450		Bill Devine
Bay of Islands	New electorate			Neill Austin	1,682		William Guy McPherson
Birkenhead		Jim McLay			2,534		Rex Stanton
Christchurch Central		Bruce Barclay			5,947		Gwen Clucas
Clutha		Peter Gordon		Robin Gray	1,427		F A O'Connell
Dunedin Central		Brian MacDonell			3,413		M B Ablett
Dunedin North		Richard Walls		Stan Rodger	2,850		Richard Walls
East Cape	New electorate			Duncan MacIntyre	2,533		O P Drabble
East Coast Bays		Frank Gill			1,566		Colleen Hicks
Eastern Hutt	New electorate			Trevor Young	5,373		Rosemary Young
Eden		Aussie Malcolm			648		John Hinchcliff
Fendalton	New electorate			Eric Holland	1,956		David Close[1]
Gisborne		Bob Bell			213		Allan Wallbank
Hamilton East		Ian Shearer			1,361		Lois Welch
Hamilton West		Mike Minogue			1,006		Dorothy Jelicich
Hastings		Bob Fenton		David Butcher	334		Bob Fenton
Hauraki	New electorate			Leo Schultz	2,019		Gordon Miller
Hawkes Bay		Richard Harrison			1,908		Mike Cullen
Helensville	New electorate			Dail Jones	1,199		Jack Elder
Heretaunga		Ron Bailey			2,744		John Ward
Horowhenua	New electorate			Geoff Thompson	744		Alan Charles Eyles
Hunua	New electorate			Winston Peters	192		Malcolm Douglas[nb 1]
Invercargill		Norman Jones			256		Aubrey Begg
Island Bay		Gerald O'Brien		Frank O'Flynn	650		Bill Nathan[nb 2]
Kaimai	New electorate			Bruce Townshend	3,476		Douglas Conway
Kaipara	New electorate			Peter Wilkinson	520		Nevern McConachy[2]
Kapiti		Barry Brill			23		Margaret Shields[nb 3]
King Country		Jim Bolger			2,770		Leo Menefy
Lyttelton		Colleen Dewe		Ann Hercus	1,423		Colleen Dewe
Manawatu		Allan McCready		Michael Cox	2,913		Trevor de Cleene
Mangere		David Lange			6,263		Peter Saunders
Manurewa		Merv Wellington		Roger Douglas	2,467		Peter O'Brien
Marlborough		Ed Latter		Doug Kidd	323		Ian Brooks
Matamata	New electorate			Jack Luxton	4,407		David Mawdsley
Miramar		Bill Young			315		Bill Jeffries
Mt Albert		Warren Freer			2,861		Frank Ryan
Napier		Gordon Christie			2,927		Kevin Rose
Nelson		Mel Courtney			2,239		Peter Malone
New Lynn		Jonathan Hunt			4,390		Jacky Bridges
New Plymouth		Tony Friedlander			112		Dennis Duggan
North Shore		George Gair			4,650		Gene Leckey
Onehunga		Frank Rogers			1,417		Barrie Hutchinson
Ohariu	New electorate			Hugh Templeton	1,958		Helene Ritchie
Otago	New electorate			Warren Cooper	3,722		R J Rutherford
Otahuhu		Bob Tizard			4,762		Ray Ah Chee
Pahiatua		John Falloon			6,675		P M A Hills
Pakuranga		Gavin Downie		Pat Hunt	2,111		Elsa Smith
Palmerston North		John Lithgow		Joe Walding	2,736		John Lithgow
Papakura	New electorate			Merv Wellington	3,622		Geoff Braybrooke
Papanui		Bert Walker		Mike Moore	3,289		Bert Walker
Papatoetoe	New electorate			Eddie Isbey	1,511		Colin Bidois
Pencarrow	New electorate			Fraser Colman	3,649		Brett Newell
Porirua		Gerry Wall			3,657		Alan Perry
Rangiora		Derek Quigley			1,145		Don McKenzie
Rangiriri	New electorate			Bill Birch	2,276		Robert Frederick McKee
Rangitikei		Bruce Beetham			2,853		Les Gandar
Remuera		Allan Highet			5,771		Lee Goffin
Roskill		Arthur Faulkner			1,671		John Banks
Rotorua		Harry Lapwood		Paul East	1,020		Peter Tapsell
St Albans		Roger Drayton		David Caygill	3,679		Neil Russell
St Kilda		Bill Fraser			2,959		Graeme Laing
Selwyn	New electorate			Colin McLachlan	1,232		Bill Woods
Sydenham		John Kirk			7,040		Ian Wilson
Tamaki		Robert Muldoon			6,310		Audie Cooke-Pennefather
Taranaki	New electorate			David Thomson	4,573		K A Tracey
Tarawera	New electorate			Ian Mclean	2,022		JJ Stewart
Tasman		Bill Rowling			1,794		Ruth Richardson
Taupo		Ray La Varis		Jack Ridley	609		Lesley A. Miller[3]
Tauranga		Keith Allen			3,318		Paul Hills
Te Atatu		Michael Bassett			2,819		W R Cross
Timaru		Sir Basil Arthur			2,183		Bill Penno
Waikato		Lance Adams-Schneider			5,063		Brian West[4]
Waipa	New electorate			Marilyn Waring	4,906		John Kilbride
Wairarapa		Ben Couch			837		Allan Levett
Waitakere	New electorate			Ralph Maxwell	2,016		Bill Haresnape
Waitaki	New electorate			Jonathan Elworthy	1,315		Bill Laney
Waitotara	New electorate			Venn Young	4,109		Edith Charteris
Wallace		Brian Talboys			5,324		Jim Thomson
Wanganui		Russell Marshall			3,102		John Rowan
Wellington Central		Ken Comber			916		Neville Pickering
West Coast		Paddy Blanchfield		Kerry Burke	5,647		George Ferguson
Western Hutt		Bill Lambert		John Terris	168		Bill Lambert
Whangarei		John Elliott			1,176		Colin Moyle
Yaldhurst	New electorate			Mick Connelly	1,638		David Watson
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori		Paraone Reweti			7,400		Monty Searancke
Northern Maori		Matiu Rata			4,844		Joe Toia
Southern Maori		Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan			9,180		Charles Piharo Maitai
Western Maori		Koro Wētere			9,719		Gordon Pihema

Table footnotes:

1. The election of Malcolm Douglas in Hunua was overturned by the Electoral Court on 24 May 1979
2. Gerald O'Brien came third standing as Independent Labour
3. Margaret Shields had initially been declared the winner but she lost 83 votes in a magisterial recount

By-elections during 39th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 39th Parliament.

Electorate and by-election		Date	Incumbent		Cause	Winner
Christchurch Central	1979	18 August		Bruce Barclay	Death		Geoffrey Palmer
Northern Maori	1980	7 June		Matiu Rata	Resignation		Bruce Gregory
Onehunga	1980	7 June		Frank Rogers	Death		Fred Gerbic
East Coast Bays	1980	6 September		Frank Gill	Appointed as Ambassador to US		Gary Knapp

Summary of changes during term

• Bruce Barclay, the Labour MP for Christchurch Central, died in 1979. The ensuing by-election was won by Geoffrey Palmer, also of the Labour Party.
• Matiu Rata, a Labour cabinet minister, resigned from his party in 1979 due to disagreements with its policy towards Māori. In 1980, Rata quit parliament and founded the Mana Motuhake party. Rata then contested the ensuing by-election, but came second. He was replaced by Bruce Gregory of the Labour Party.
• Frank Rogers, the Labour MP for Onehunga, died in 1980. The ensuing by-election was won by Fred Gerbic, also of the Labour Party.
• Frank Gill, the National MP for East Coast Bays, resigned from parliament in 1980 in order to take up a position as New Zealand's ambassador in Washington. The ensuing by-election was won, much to the National Party's surprise, by Gary Knapp of the Social Credit Party.