The by-election resulted from the death of the previous member Gordon Hultquist of the Labour Party who was killed in World War II.

The by-election was won by Bill Sullivan of the National Party; Labour lost a seat.

Initially there was speculation that there would be no election necessary and that the National Party would not stand a candidate after the death of an MP on service in wartime (as happened in the Waitemata by-election).

[1] This was not to be the case and National stood their candidate from the 1938 election and former Mayor of Whakatane Bill Sullivan.

[3] The incipient Democratic Labour Party (DLP), who had recently formed a branch in the electorate in Ōpōtiki, also contemplated standing a candidate.