Rolls delay attacked

Press, 28 January 1984, Page 1

Rolls delay attacked

PA Wellington The Labour Party yesterday pointed an accusing finger at the Minister of Justice, Mr McLay, for the lack of electoral rolls-showing new boundaries. The party’s president, Mr J. P. Anderton, said it was extraordinary that electoral rolls with new boundaries would not be available until July. Speaking at a press conference after a party executive meeting, Mr Anderton said he was not blaming Government departments. “I am really pointing the finger at Mr McLay and the Government’s administration of this whole area, which pays lip-service to what should be done, but in the end result you get into election year and you haven’t got any new rolls until July. I find that extraordinary,” Mr Anderton said. The lack of new rolls created confusion, especially in marginal electorates. Mr Anderton said that in his electorate of Sydenham people who re-enrolled in an

area affected by boundary changes were told what electorate they were in according to the old boundaries. “No amount of persuasion can convince them otherwise. When they have a card from the Post Office to say they are members of the Fendalton electorate and you know they are members of Sydenham, it is extremely difficult to win the argument. “I would have thought it was not beyond the bounds of anyone’s ingenuity to preserve the constitutional position, whereby you keep the old rolls in case of a byelection, but have the new rolls on the new boundaries, which were promulgated last May, so that people will know for certain which electorate they are in.” The problem was worse in crucial marginal electorates such as Gisborne, he said. “A whole area such as Kaiti is now in the Gisborne seat which is the difference between its being a National-held marginal or a Labour-held marginal.”