The Selwyn by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Selwyn, a predominantly rural district in the middle of New Zealand's South Island. It took place on 13 August 1994, and was precipitated by the resignation from parliament of siting MP Ruth Richardson. Richardson was retiring from politics, having been removed as Minister of Finance the previous year.
The by-election was contested by all major parties. It was won by David Carter, the National Party candidate, and therefore did not change the distribution of seats in Parliament. In second place, and only around four hundred votes behind Carter, was the Alliance's John Wright, a result that surprised many commentators. National's traditional enemy, the Labour Party, placed a distant third. The fourth major candidate was from the New Zealand First party.
