2018 Botany by-election

2018 Botany by-election was a by-election held in the Botany electorate on 17 March 2018. It was triggered by the resignation of incumbent MP Jami-Lee Ross, who had represented the seat for the National Party since the 2011 election. The contest was comfortably won by National candidate Christopher Luxon, a former chief executive of Air New Zealand, who secured a large majority in the traditionally safe blue-ribbon seat. The by-election occurred during the first term of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Background

The by-election was necessitated following the dramatic resignation of Jami-Lee Ross from the National Party caucus in October 2018, amidst allegations of serious misconduct and a subsequent public dispute with party leader Simon Bridges. Ross, who had held the Botany seat since 2011, initially intended to remain in Parliament as an independent. However, he formally resigned his seat on 31 January 2019, creating the vacancy. The electorate, located in East Auckland, had been a stronghold for National since its creation for the 2008 election, with Ross winning it with large majorities in 2014 and 2017. The timing placed the by-election in the middle of the parliamentary term for the government formed by the Labour Party, NZ First, and the Green Party.

Candidates and campaign

The National Party selected Christopher Luxon, the former chief executive of Air New Zealand, as its candidate. Luxon, a political novice, was endorsed by leader Simon Bridges and ran a campaign focused on local issues like transport infrastructure, housing affordability, and law and order. The Labour Party candidate was Naisi Chen, a former Howick Local Board member and youth advocate, who campaigned on the government's record including initiatives like the Families Package. ACT stood candidate Tofik Mamedov, while other minor parties included TOP with Abolhassan Saberi and the People's Party with Bhav Dhillon. The Green Party and NZ First did not stand candidates, in line with their confidence and supply agreement with the Labour-led government. The campaign was seen as a low-key affair, with a National victory widely anticipated.

Results

The by-election was held on 17 March 2018, with preliminary results announced that evening. Christopher Luxon won decisively, securing 12,195 votes, or 68.4% of the valid votes cast. This represented a slight decrease from Jami-Lee Ross's 2017 result of 71.2%, but maintained National's overwhelming dominance in the seat. Naisi Chen of the Labour Party came second with 3,201 votes (18.0%), a marginal improvement on Labour's 2017 candidate Kharag Singh. Tofik Mamedov of ACT placed third with 5.7%. The final voter turnout was 41.1%, which was typical for a by-election in New Zealand but significantly lower than the 73.5% turnout in the electorate during the 2017 general election. The results had no impact on the overall composition of the House of Representatives or the governing majority of the Ardern ministry.

Aftermath

Christopher Luxon was sworn in as the new MP for Botany on 19 March 2018, entering the 53rd Parliament. His victory reinforced National's hold on its traditional support base in East Auckland and provided the party with a high-profile new MP who was quickly touted as a future leadership contender. The by-election result was considered a satisfactory outcome for Simon Bridges's leadership amid internal party tensions. For the Labour Party, the result confirmed the continued difficulty of making inroads in affluent, suburban Auckland electorates. The former MP, Jami-Lee Ross, later formed the Advance New Zealand party and contested, unsuccessfully, the 2020 election. Luxon would later succeed Bridges as leader of the National Party in November 2021 and become Leader of the Opposition.

Category:2018 elections in New Zealand Category:By-elections to the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:History of Auckland