Country quota
Encyclopedia
The country quota was a part of the New Zealand
electoral system from 1881 until 1945. Its effect was to make urban
constituencies more populous than those in rural
areas, thus making rural votes worth more in general elections
.
The quota was established to prevent or at least slow the marginalisation of rural interests as the New Zealand population became increasingly urbanised. It was also a way to counteract the influence of recently enfranchised working men; until 1879 only (male) property owners could vote, which meant that a disproportionate number of electors lived in the countryside. The quota was originally 33%, meaning that urban electorates were 33% larger than rural electorates and, essentially, rural votes were worth 33% more. In 1887 the quota was reduced to 18%, but then increased two years later to 28%.
The country quota was always unpopular with the Labour Party
, which took most of its support from the cities, and generally felt the system to be an undemocratic violation of the 'one man one vote' principle. Its policy of abolishing the quota was abandoned in the 1930s in order to win rural support, and the extra seats remained for the first three terms of the first Labour government
. By the 1940s Labour had lost most of its rural support and felt that the quota could cost it the 1946 election
. Consequently, the quota was abolished in 1945 and Labour won the election by four seats.
R. M. Chapman (1969) studied the effect of the Country Quota in the five elections 1919 to 1931, when there were 8 extra seats (76 not 68 European seats) because of the quota. He found the quota had only a small effect on Labour, which was down 2 seats in 1931 and 1 seat in 1919, 1922, 1925 & 1928. Only in 1922 could this have affected the results of the election, as Massey would have had to find three not two allies from the Liberals. But Massey easily found two Liberals (who were afterwards nominated to the Legislative Council), and with the disarray in the Liberals could have found one more.
This surprising result had three reasons:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
electoral system from 1881 until 1945. Its effect was to make urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
constituencies more populous than those in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
areas, thus making rural votes worth more in general elections
New Zealand elections
Members of New Zealand's House of Representatives, commonly called "Parliament", normally gain their parliamentary seats through nationwide general elections, or in by-elections. General elections normally occur at least every three years in New Zealand, and operate using the Mixed Member...
.
The quota was established to prevent or at least slow the marginalisation of rural interests as the New Zealand population became increasingly urbanised. It was also a way to counteract the influence of recently enfranchised working men; until 1879 only (male) property owners could vote, which meant that a disproportionate number of electors lived in the countryside. The quota was originally 33%, meaning that urban electorates were 33% larger than rural electorates and, essentially, rural votes were worth 33% more. In 1887 the quota was reduced to 18%, but then increased two years later to 28%.
The country quota was always unpopular with the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
, which took most of its support from the cities, and generally felt the system to be an undemocratic violation of the 'one man one vote' principle. Its policy of abolishing the quota was abandoned in the 1930s in order to win rural support, and the extra seats remained for the first three terms of the first Labour government
First Labour Government of New Zealand
The First Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1935 to 1949. It set the tone of New Zealand's economic and welfare policies until the 1980s, establishing a welfare state, a system of Keynesian economic management, and high levels of state intervention...
. By the 1940s Labour had lost most of its rural support and felt that the quota could cost it the 1946 election
New Zealand general election, 1946
The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 28th term. It saw the governing Labour Party re-elected, but by a substantially narrower margin than in the three previous elections...
. Consequently, the quota was abolished in 1945 and Labour won the election by four seats.
R. M. Chapman (1969) studied the effect of the Country Quota in the five elections 1919 to 1931, when there were 8 extra seats (76 not 68 European seats) because of the quota. He found the quota had only a small effect on Labour, which was down 2 seats in 1931 and 1 seat in 1919, 1922, 1925 & 1928. Only in 1922 could this have affected the results of the election, as Massey would have had to find three not two allies from the Liberals. But Massey easily found two Liberals (who were afterwards nominated to the Legislative Council), and with the disarray in the Liberals could have found one more.
This surprising result had three reasons:
- Reform & Liberal had urban support, and would have got some of the extra urban seats.
- Labour had three Country-Mining seats, and may have lost one or more of these
- The fictitious 8 country seats would have been redistributed, and as the countryside was still half of all New Zealand it would have received 4 back again.
Further reading
- Atkinson, Neill (2003), Adventures in Democracy: A History of the Vote in New Zealand, University of Otago Press.
- Chapman R. M. (1969)The Political Scene 1919-1931 (New Zealand History Topic Book by Heinemann) Appendix: The effect of the Country Quota (pages 66-68).