Proportional representation in New Zealand local government: STV and the Christchurch City Council, 1917-33

Recent New Zealand legislation has enabled territorial local bodies to be elected under the Single Transferable Vote system (STV). This was also the case in the early twentieth century, but Christchurch City was the only substantial authority to adopt it. The system appears to have fostered some greater diversity in representation and to have encouraged cooperation between parties on the Council. The Labour Party, a major force in municipal politics there, supported STV and advocated its introduction in national elections. However, partly because of the way the legislation was written, STV tended to deprive Labour of a clear majority in Christchurch. Consequently local activists played a substantial role in the dropping of Proportional Representation from the party platform.