sentences:  Courtney took 37.0 per cent of the total vote, 3.4 percentage points behind the Labour candidate, and nearly three times as many votes as the National candidate's share of the vote.This was the best result by an independent candidate in New Zealand elections in nearly 40 years.Courtney was an elected member of Nelson City Council for six years during the 1970s under Mayor Roy McLennan; for some of that time, he was also a Member of Parliament.