1989 Christchurch City Council election

The 1989 Christchurch City Council election was a local election held from September to 14 October in Christchurch, New Zealand, as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Christchurch and 24 city councillors for the 1989–1992 term of the Christchurch City Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used. These were the first elections held after the Fourth Labour Government's 1989 local government reforms.

Vicki Buck, an independent, was elected with more than double second place. The council was split mainly into three camps; conservative United Citizens on 7, Labour also on 7, and the new conservative Christchurch Action group on 6.

Key dates relating to the local elections were as follows:^[2]

Incumbent mayor Hamish Hay had been mayor for five terms, and his intention was to contest another mayoralty. Less than two months out from the election, he pulled out of the contest due to ill health.^[3] Prior to the election there was a schism on the right wing Citizens' Association resulting in two conservative tickets running against each other. The first to leave the union was councillor Carol Evans.^[4] United Citizens was the successor of the Citizens' Association and Christchurch Action was founded by Margaret Murray.^[5] Christchurch Action was set up, comprising former councillors from districts that merged with the city as part of the 1989 local government reforms.^[6] The three main contenders were Vicki Buck (Independent), Morgan Fahey (United Citizens), and Murray (Christchurch Action). Buck won the election with 52% of the vote.^[7]

As part of the 1989 local government reforms the number of local government wards increased from five to twelve with each ward electing two members, as opposed to the three or four that wards previously elected. The number of councillors increased from 18 to 24.

The Christchurch Action team was founded on 13 August by Margaret Murray. The ticket's goals were based on improving city services, additional police, and improving efficiency of the council.^[8]

There were changes in political affiliations during the council term. Carole Evans, councillor for the West Ward who ran under the Citizens' team in 1986 ran as an independent. Two sitting councillors from the abolished Waimairi district council, Gordon Freeman and Des King, stood under the Independents for Papanui ward team. Philip Carter, who was the son of councillor and deputy mayor Maurice Carter ran for the Action team as opposed to his father's affiliation of Citizens.

Councillor Alex Clark seemingly endorsed Buck for mayor at the Labour council campaign launch on 16 August as well as endorsing the Independents for Papanui Ward ticket. However, chairman of the local body committee of Canterbury Labour, Maggie Hillock, clarified that Clark's endorsement did not represent the views of the party. The accidental endorsement was seen to offend Councillor David Close who had considered standing for Labour on the mayoral ticket.^[9][10]

Footnotes: * denotes incumbents

Within a week of the election, Clark resigned from the Labour Party without publicly stating the reasons.^[1] David Close took over as leader of the party on the city council.^[14] The Labour Party and United Citizens' formed an alliance for determining the various committees and their chairpersonship, blocking Christchurch Action and Clark from any influential positions.^[15]