1938 New Zealand general election

1938 New Zealand general election

← 1935 14 (Māori) & 15 October (general) 1938 1943 →
elected members →
All 80 seats in the New Zealand Parliament 41 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Michael Joseph Savage Adam Hamilton Party Labour National Leader since 12 October 1933 31 October 1936 Leader's seat Auckland West Wallace Last election 53 seats, 45.7% 19 seats, 32.9% (as United–Reform Coalition) Seats won 53 25 Seat change 6 Popular vote 528,290 381,081 Percentage 55.8% 40.3% Swing 10.1% 7.4%
Results of the election.
Prime Minister before election Michael Joseph Savage Labour Subsequent Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage Labour

The 1938 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 26th term. It resulted in the governing Labour Party being re-elected in a landslide, winning nearly 56% of the vote despite not gaining any more seats. Having replaced the United-Reform coalition, the newly founded National Party also gained a certain amount of ground.

This was the first election in which the Māori were given a secret ballot which had been available to white voters since 1870.