The Press MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1974. The vote in Christchurch

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 16

The Press MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1974. The vote in Christchurch

A larger turn-out of voters, rather than significant changes in their allegiances, appears to have been responsible for the election of a new Mayor in Christchurch. The deposed Mayor (Mr N. _G. Pickering) won more votes on Saturday than in 1971. From a larger roll, which included thousands more younger voters, Mr H. G. Hay was able to win 4500 more votes than the Citizens’ candidate for Mayor three vears ago. The combined vote for the most successful Labour candidate in each of the city’s five wards was approximately equal to the vote for Mr Pickering. On the election-night count in 1971, Mr Hay scored more votes as a councillor than Mr Pickering won in the Mayoralty contest against Mr Guthrev. Mr Hav, of course, has mustered more votes this year, but they do not obviously represent a shift of allegiance, especially so since so many electors chose not to vote at all. Many electors appear to have voted for people they knew or approved of personally rather than for party policies. The expression of such a choice is easier because of the new system of wards which left individual electors less bemused by the number of candidates. In spite of this, the general lack of sufficient support for Labour candidates in the City Council and other elections cannot be ignored.

Mr Pickering must be disappointed that after three years in which he believed Christchurch had made notable progress, the electorate saw fit to prefer promises of a steadier and less controversial administration. The loss of Mrs Pickering as Mayoress will be felt keenly by many citizens, especially those who are less fortunate and for whom she showed special concern and understanding. Mr Hay, the son of a former city councillor, has himself considerable experience of the city and the council and he should be able to show no less concern for the welfare of citizens. Three cherished projects begun by the Citizens’ Association—the Town Hall, the reconstruction of Cathedral Square, and the rebuilding of the Centennial Pool—have been completed by the Labour Council in its three-year term. For good or ill, Mr Pickering and his colleagues also leave behind them the memorial of the Queen Elizabeth II Park stadium and pool. The financial success of that venture may prove to be among the sternest tests faced by the new council: the new council will certainly face some financial difficulties when it attempts to make good some of the deficiencies in basic services in the city. The new Mayor and council must be expected to set firm priorities for some of these less prestigious, but essential, works. Nevertheless, they have a clear mandate to carry out their policies. Mr Pickering and his colleagues may take some consolation from the thought that the trend against them at the polls was reflected not only in the results for other local authorities in Canterbury, but in a vote against the Labour Party in many parts of New Zealand. The size of the vote against the former Mayor of Wellington (Sir Francis Kitts) and against the Labour candidate for the Auckland mayoralty, should make even the central Government take notice.