title: Electoral history of Bill Rowling
text: # Electoral history of Bill Rowling
  
  This is a summary of the electoral history of Bill Rowling, Prime Minister of New Zealand (1974–75), Leader of the Labour Party (1974–83), Member of Parliament for Buller (1962–72) and later Tasman (1972–84).
  
  ## Parliamentary elections
  
  ### 1960 election
  
  1960 general election: Fendalton :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | National | Harry Lake | 9,500 | 55.54 | |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 6,778 | 39.62 | |
  | | Social Credit | John Forster | 826 | 4.82 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,722 | 15.91 | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,104 | 90.47 | -2.90 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,904 | | |
  
  ### 1962 by-election
  
  1962 Buller by-election :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 5,242 | 44.98 | |
  | | National | Ernie King | 4,846 | 41.58 | +5.58 |
  | | Social Credit | P. H. Matthews | 1,566 | 13.44 | -1.36 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 396 | 3.40 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 37 | 0.32 | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,691 | 79.40 | -12.70 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,724 | | |
  | | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
  
  ### 1963 election
  
  General election, 1963: Buller :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 7,338 | 52.28 | +7.30 |
  | | National | Ernie King | 5,667 | 40.37 | +1.21 |
  | | Social Credit | E Wells | 1,033 | 7.35 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,671 | 11.90 | +8.50 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,038 | 90.91 | +11.51 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,440 | | |
  
  ### 1966 election
  
  General election, 1966: Buller :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 6,510 | 48.36 | -3.92 |
  | | National | Ernie King | 4,668 | 34.67 | -5.70 |
  | | Social Credit | W P B Dobier | 2,286 | 16.97 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,822 | 13.53 | +1.63 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,464 | 87.98 | -2.93 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,303 | | |
  
  ### 1969 election
  
  General election, 1969: Buller :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 8,319 | 53.36 | +5.00 |
  | | National | Ernie King | 5,497 | 35.25 | +0.58 |
  | | Social Credit | D L Hodgkinson | 1,774 | 11.37 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,822 | 18.10 | +4.57 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,590 | 87.67 | -0.31 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,782 | | |
  
  ### 1972 election
  
  General election, 1972: Tasman :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 8,046 | 52.52 |
  | | National | Gerald Hunt | 6,212 | 40.55 |
  | | Social Credit | John Brinsdon | 882 | 5.75 |
  | | New Democratic | Gary Eggers | 177 | 1.15 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,834 | 11.97 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,317 | 89.57 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,099 | |
  
  ### 1975 election
  
  General election, 1975: Tasman :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 8,344 | 46.09 | -6.43 |
  | | National | Peter Malone | 7,815 | 43.17 | |
  | | Social Credit | Rudolph Muller | 1,020 | 5.63 | |
  | | Values | Patsy J. McGrath | 693 | 3.82 | |
  | | Independent | Adrian Hayter | 238 | 1.31 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 529 | 2.92 | -9.05 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,100 | 88.22 | -1.35 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,516 | | |
  
  ### 1978 election
  
  General election, 1978: Tasman :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 8,973 | 49.08 | +2.99 |
  | | National | Ruth Richardson | 7,179 | 39.27 | |
  | | Social Credit | Rudolph Muller | 1,726 | 9.44 | +3.81 |
  | | Values | Patsy J. McGrath | 362 | 1.98 | -1.84 |
  | | Independent | Christopher Vine | 40 | 0.21 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,794 | 9.81 | +6.18 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,280 | 78.93 | -9.29 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 23,159 | | |
  
  ### 1981 election
  
  General election, 1981: Tasman :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Labour | Bill Rowling | 8,803 | 41.57 | -7.51 |
  | | National | Edward Krammer | 6,557 | 30.96 | |
  | | Social Credit | Pat King | 3,664 | 17.30 | |
  | | Independent | Ken Waldron | 99 | 0.46 | |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,246 | 10.60 | +0.79 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,123 | 90.30 | +11.37 |
  | Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 21,176 | | |
  
  ## Leadership elections
  
  ### 1974 Leadership election
  
  | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | | Bill Rowling | 44 | 83.01 |
  | | Hugh Watt | 9 | 16.99 |
  | Majority | Majority | 35 | 66.03 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | 53 | — |
  
  ### 1980 Leadership election
  
  | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | | Bill Rowling | 19 | 51.40 |
  | | David Lange | 18 | 48.60 |
  | Majority | Majority | 1 | 2.70 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | 37 | — |
  
  ## Party elections
  
  ### 1966 Party Conference
  
  1966 Vice-Presidential election; first ballot :
  
  | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - |
  | Bill Rowling | 244 | 37.02% |
  | Henry May | 238 | 36.11% |
  | Sir Basil Arthur | 177 | 26.85% |
  
  1966 Vice-Presidential election; second ballot :
  
  | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | | Henry May | 321 | 50.23% |
  | | Bill Rowling | 318 | 49.76% |
  
  ### 1967 Party Conference
  
  1967 Vice-Presidential election :
  
  | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | | Henry May | 323 | 51.68% |
  | | Bill Rowling | 302 | 48.32% |
  
  ### 1968 Party Conference
  
  1968 Vice-Presidential election :
  
  | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | | Henry May | 334 | 50.22% |
  | | Bill Rowling | 331 | 49.77% |
  
  ### 1969 Party Conference
  
  1969 Presidential election :
  
  | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - |
  | Norman Douglas | 380 | 56.80% |
  | Bill Rowling | 206 | 30.79% |
  | George Webber | 83 | 12.40% |
  
  1969 Vice-Presidential election :
  
  | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - |
  | Bill Rowling | 422 | 64.71% |
  | Henry May | 212 | 31.03% |
  | Sonja Davies | 41 | 6.00% |
  | George Spooner | 6 | 0.87% |
  | Ted Keating | 2 | 0.29% |
  