Eight women elected in North Canterbury

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 14

Eight women elected in North Canterbury

Eight women have been elected to nine bodies in the local body elections in North Canterbury, one of the women, Mrs E. J. Gardiner, being returned unopposed to the North Canterbury Hospital Board from the combined Kaikoura, Amuri, Cheviot, and Waipara Counties. Voting was not strictly on Women's Lib. lines, however, as 15 women had stood for 16 positions, leaving seven among the "also rans." Tlie woman who scored a double success was Mrs H. M. Little, who won commaudingly a three-way contest for the Hawarden riding of the Waipara County Council and topped the poll for the three seats contested for the Hawarden Licensing Trust. The sitting member for the North Canterbury Hospital Board ward of Rangiora. Ashley. Eyre and Oxford Counties and the Rangiora and Kaiapoi Bor-, oughs. Miss J. A. Smith, re-] tained her office by polling more votes than the total by her two opponents. One of Miss Smith's challengers was Mrs F. R. J. I Clemett. who was standing down! after 12 years on the Kaiapoi: Borough Council to seek election I to the board. For what is believed to be the first time, women have been elected to two other county councils also. Mrs P. J. Sigglekow to Kaikoura, and Mrs N. M. Walls to Cheviot. Two women were elected to the Rangiora Borough Council and one to the Kaiapoi Borough Council. Sitting members were beaten in County Ridings at Kaikoura <2>, Eyre, and Rangiora, and for the Oxford ward of the North Canterbury Electric Power Board.; Kaikoura will have to hold a byelection to fill a vacancy for the Conway riding, for which only one nomination was received for the two seats. Unseated two terms ago. Mr F. W. Brougham was re-elected this time to the three seat Kaikoura Suburban riding. Post voting heavier Generally, postal voting was well ahead of the voting per centages through the once conventional ballot box. ’Seven of the 10 territorial local bodies in North Canterbury (including Katkoura) have changed to postal voting, the latest concerts being Rangiora Borough and Waipara County, with increased responses in both cases. In M aipara. the riding election was an 39 per cent poll, the Hawarden Licensing Trust 91 per cent, and the North Canterbury Catchment Board 77 per cent. Three years ago. a Waipara County resident, Mr J. H. A. Hollis, suffered adversely m the Catchment Board election by: Waipara not using postal voting ; with the poll being about 34 per cent. This time, the added, oercentage of postal voting with- 1 in the county contributed significantlv to the success of Mr F. J. Bain over Mr H M. Pickering. The Rangiora Borough election was probably its most successful. With a record number of candidates and a record 82 per cent noil, double that of the previous election The improved Doll is attributed »o the switch to postal votin’? a'ter an experiment in extended nolHng over two da's three aeo i Not all the voting percent "es I were available from the prelim-

? inary counts, but Oxford topped . the 90 per cent, an improvement of about 4 per cent, while Rangiora County dropped from 71 per i cent to 66. The boroughs i All sitting members were re- * turned in the Rangiora Borough and Kaiapoi Borough elections. . both mayors were re-elected unopposed. In Rangiora the chairI man of the finance committee, Mr B. R. Hassall, an accountant. . I was clearly the favourite, more ! than 300 votes ahead of the Deputy Mayor (Mr W. H. F. - | Conway >. A progressive policy of improv- ! ing Kaiapoi’s parks and reserves ■ probably contributed to pushing Mr H. G. McAllister, the chairman of the resenes committee, 'and a former chief fire officer. ;to the top of the poll with Mr R. L. Wylie, the town piannlnC i chairman and a strong anti-pol- : lution advocate, trailing by only ■nine votes. One of the three bodies still using ballot box voting. Kaiapoi dropped slightly to about 40 per cent. I In spite of this, the longest j serving Kaiapoi councillor. Mr C » !T. Williams, gained his biggest number of votes in 19 years for third ranking. A freezing worker. Mr J. A. Fowler, did well to gain fourth ranking in his first - try. A young mother, with a year old baby. Mrs L. A. Clarke, has been elected to the council for which she formerly worked in the office for about four years - Also still on ballot box voting, ‘ Amuri had a 54 per cent poll in its Lyndon riding and a lighter one a Hamner Springs. ; The percentages for the other ! county, Cheviot, on conventional polling, were not immediately available. A four-way contest for the one s seat Amberley riding of the Ashley County, was easily won by a new candidate. Mr J. R Meyer, a son-in-law of the Max or of Kaiapoi (Mr B. O. Williams’