Gerard Wall

Sir Gerard Aloysius Wall (24 January 1920 – 22 November 1992) was a surgeon and a politician in New Zealand. He was Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1985 to 1987. He was a member of the Labour Party.

Wall was noted for his firmly held socially conservative views and opposition to legalising abortion and homosexuality, which frequently brought him into conflict with his contemporaries. Porirua Mayor John Burke said of Wall "He was a man who had the courage of his convictions – if he felt strongly about any issue it concerned him little who or how many disagreed."

Biography Early life and career Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1920, he was the son of Edmund Wall. He was educated at St Bede's College then attended Canterbury University College for two years studying law before instead deciding on a career in medicine. To earn enough money to pay for his medical studies he worked at various times on farms as a labourer, shearer, shed hand, and musterer. He completed courses at the University of Otago, graduating with an MBChB. After graduation he worked as a house surgeon in Christchurch and as a general practitioner in Denniston on the West Coast. The family moved to Porirua in 1968 and was on the staff of Porirua Hospital for one year. He won the Porirua electorate (which neighboured the Petone electorate) in 1969. Once in parliament he was a member of the Social Services and Maori Affairs select committees. Ahead of the he was again challenged for the nomination by Reverend Don Borrie, a local Presbyterian minister, believing Wall was "out of touch" with his constituents particularly regarding health issues. Wall was reselected by the Labour Party and claimed his reselection was an "absolute" endorsement of his stances on issues such as abortion. In the lead up to the the Porirua Labour Electorate Committee passed a motion of no confidence in him as part of an unsuccessful attempt to de-select him as the candidate. Parliamentary colleague Mike Moore said "He [Wall] was a man of fierce and strong opinions ... he was a unique character who made great sacrifices for his principles." Prior to this Wall had been upset at being passed over for any responsibilities following Labour's victory and thus took to the role of speaker with enthusiasm. Colleagues thought he had a tendency to overdo his role and was too tough on opposition MPs, almost everyone was ejected from the chamber at least once during his two years as speaker. As speaker he was the target of an unprecedented attack on his integrity by Sir Robert Muldoon in 1986. Muldoon issued a lengthy statement criticising how he thought Wall chaired sessions, particularly Wall's predilection for ejecting members from the house. Muldoon had previously moved a motion of no confidence in Wall (a rare occurrence) which was defeated.

Later life and death Wall retired in 1987 and was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours. After retiring from parliament he worked as a weekend duty doctor at Porirua Hospital. He died in 1992. They had two sons and three daughters. For recreational he participated in rugby (as both a player and referee) and climbing.