The 1952 Tauranga mayoral by-election was held to elect a successor to Bill Barnard who resigned as Mayor of Tauranga owing to ill-health. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Mayor Bill Barnard announced at a meeting of the Tauranga Borough Council on 16 July 1952 of his intention of resigning from his position on 1 August that year. He stated that the workload of his mayoral duties combined with those of his legal practice had begun to negatively affect his health.[1] Three candidates put themselves forward for the now vacated position. Councillors Frederick Newham Christian and Lionel Deacon Lees, as well as former mayor Lionel Wilkinson (who was defeated by Barnard in 1950) stood in the by-election.
