19th New Zealand Parliament

Sessions

Historical context

Party standings

1914–1916

1916–1919

Members

Initial MPs

By-elections during the 19th Parliament

Summary of changes

Party changes

• Thomas Rhodes, the Liberal Party MP for Thames, changed affiliation to the Reform Party in 1915.
• The Social Democratic Party and the loose United Labour Party grouping merged to form the modern Labour Party on 7 July 1916. One ULP member, Bill Veitch, rejected the merger, and carried on as an independent.

  Deaths

• James Escott died on 28 July 1916.
• *1916 Pahiatua by-election — won by Harold Smith
• Robert McNab died on 3 February 1917.
• *1917 Hawkes Bay by-election — won by John Findlay
• Taare Parata died on 8 January 1918.
• *1918 Southern Maori by-election — won by Hopere Uru
• Robert Fletcher died on 4 September 1918.
• *1918 Wellington Central by-election — won by Peter Fraser
• Henry Okey died on 13 September 1918
• *1918 Taranaki by-election — won by Sydney Smith
• Alfred Hindmarsh died on 13 November 1918.
• *1918 Wellington South by-election — won by Bob Semple
• David Buick died on 18 November 1918.
• *1918 Palmerston by-election — won by Jimmy Nash
• James Colvin died on 29 October 1919.
• *Seat remained vacant, as it was only two months until the general election.

  Resignations

• William Stewart resigned in March 1917. Stewart won the seat in a by-election when the victory of another Reform candidate, Vernon Reed, had been overturned, and Stewart's resignation opened the way for Reed to return via another by-election.
• *1915 Bay of Islands by-election — won by William Stewart
• *1917 Bay of Islands by-election — won by Vernon Reed
• Paddy Webb resigned in November 1917. He then challenged the government to fight the resulting by-election on the issue of conscription, which Webb opposed. The government declined the challenge, and did not contest the by-election.
• *1917 Grey by-election — won by Paddy Webb
• Alexander Herdman resigned in February 1918. Herdman, as Attorney-General, had just appointed himself to a judicial position, and was resigning in order to take up this role.
• *1918 Wellington North by-election — won by John Luke

  Expulsions

• William Thomas Jennings lost his seat in May 1915 when his election the previous year was declared void.
• *1915 Taumarunui by-election — won by William Thomas Jennings
• Vernon Reed lost his seat in May 1915 when his election the previous year was declared void..
• *1915 Bay of Islands by-election — won by William Stewart
• Paddy Webb lost his seat in April 1918, having been jailed for refusing military service..
• *1918 Grey by-election — won by Harry Holland