The by-election resulted from the resignation of the previous member Arthur John Burns on 28 June 1878.
[1] The by-election was won by Henry Driver, who had previously held the seat from 1869 to 1871.
He was opposed by Archibald Hilson Ross,[2][3][4] who claimed that Driver (who denied it) "shouted" electors with drinks.
[5] Ross represented Roslyn from 1884 to 1890 and was Mayor of Dunedin from 1880 to 1881.
This New Zealand election-related article is a stub.