Electorate Totals For Petition Signatures (Press, 19 September 1985)
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Summary: Electorate Totals For Petition Signatures (Press, 19 September 1985)
On 19 September 1985, a significant movement against the Homosexual Law Reform Bill was highlighted through the release of detailed petition signatures targeting New Zealand's Parliament. Opponents of the bill have gathered an impressive 800,000 signatures, set to be presented to the House on the following Tuesday. Mr Graeme Lee, the MP for Hauraki and one of the petition's organisers, conveyed a warning to other members of Parliament about the implications of overlooking the petition numbers in their own electorates. He suggested that the petition's lower signature counts in specific areas were primarily due to limited resources rather than a lack of support for the cause. The petition's statistics revealed that the highest involvement came from the Hamilton electorates, with Hamilton East recording 20,299 signatures and Hamilton West 17,608. In contrast, the Wellington electorate of Pencarrow only garnered 530 signatures, while Manawatu had 859. Invercargill, represented by vocal opponent Mr Norman Jones, saw 16,923 signatures in favour of the petition. This suggests a stark contrast in engagement across various districts. The bill, championed by Ms Fran Wilde, the MP for Wellington Central, received 7,427 signatures from her electorate, while Mr Lee's electorate recorded 7,633. The total signature count of 787,621 does not encompass the Maori electorates due to the uncertainty regarding the signatures on the Maori roll, which Mr Lee noted might complicate interpretations of the data. A comprehensive breakdown of the electorates revealed a variety of participation levels. For instance, Ashburton had 5544 signatures, while Christchurch Central attracted 10,186. Other electorates also showed varying levels of engagement, with places like Gisborne and Kapiti exceeding 10,000 signatures. The figures detailed the sporadic interest across different regions, indicating both strong support and noticeable apathy towards the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. The release of these figures illustrates the heightened tensions surrounding the proposed legislation as both advocates and opponents mobilise their bases. The forthcoming presentation in Parliament is poised to be a critical moment in the ongoing public debate regarding homosexuality and law reform in New Zealand.
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