Poor response to roll revision

Press, 17 May 1984, Page 12

Poor response to roll revision

PA Wellington The Minister of Justice, Mr McLay says he is concerned about the low response from the roll revision exercise in the four Maori seats and some metropolitan areas. While the response to the roll revision exercise in the four Maori seats had improved dramatically in the last few weeks, there needed to be a greater effort made in those and other metropolitan electorates, he said.

He named Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch Central, Mangere, Otara, and Island Bay as responding slowly. Mr McLay said 94.1 per cent of all voters were now on the rolls. However,

140,000 people had not yet responded and they should immediately enrol. The rolls will remain open till the end of May. “A further publicity campaign will be launched through television, radio and the press which will be aimed at these particular seats. “The facilities for getting people on the roll are in place but the responsibility to do so rests fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the electors,” he said. The new electoral roll total now stands at 1,894,818, which includes 69,991 new members. About 30,000 cards were being processed and would be added before the roll closed.