At the time Petone was an electoral hive of activity with the local parliamentary seat becoming the third concurrent by-election in the area.

Fox cited his desire to retire and already having arrangements to move to Ōtaki, whilst O'Brien indicated that the demands of running his business would be incompatible with a parliamentary candidature.

[4] Richard Maunsell "Dick" Martin of Eastbourne was selected to contest the seat for the National Party.

Martin had stood in Petone for National unsuccessfully in the 1960 general election where he had reduced Moohan's majority.

[1] The Social Credit Party chose Colin James Whitmill, a civil servant working for the Ministry of Justice, as its candidate.