In 1959 there had been an attempt at a minor law reform by H.G.R Mason who was a Justice of the Peace. He had wanted to make the consequences of homosexual offences less extreme. This was a minor movement but had strong opposition from society.
There was a general election in 1961, which resulted in a new government and then a revision of the Crimes Act. There were no parliamentary debates about the homosexual acts but this was most likely because of the public outcry to Mason’s attempt at a minor law reform.
The 'Crimes against Morality' section of the 1893 Criminal Code included punishments of flogging, whipping and hard labour for homosexual acts. These provisions continued until removed under the Crimes Act 1961.
In 1968 during the NZHLRS petition they were accepting of the fact that some people were willing to support a law change but were not in support of the morality of homosexuality. Majority of the people who supported the petition were professionals, such as, clergy, psychiatrists, and academic psychologists. This shows that society was not fully in support of the law reform.
In June 1974, New Zealand Member of Parliament Venn Young tried to introduce a private member's bill legalising homosexuality for people aged 21 years and over. But the government wouldn't allow time for it, prompting gay liberation supporters to picket Parliament in protest. Young successfully introduced the bill a month later, but it was defeated on its second reading, 34–29, with 24 abstentions.
The campaign for homosexual law reform began in earnest in the mid-1970s. Member of Parliament Venn Young introduced a Crimes Amendment Bill in 1974 to legalise private 'homosexual acts' between consenting adults. His bill – not passed into law – followed the British model, with a proposed age of consent of 21 (then reduced to 20).
Supporters of the gay liberation movement protest against the government's failure to allow time for a private member's bill on homosexual law reform, New Zealand 1974, Photographer unknown, courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand (Dominion Post Collection, EP-Ethics-Demonstrations-Homosexual Law Reform-01)
Supporters of the gay liberation movement protest against the government's failure to allow time for a private member's bill on homosexual law reform, New Zealand 1974, Photographer unknown, courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand (Dominion Post Collection, EP-Ethics-Demonstrations-Homosexual Law Reform-01)
When Member of Parliament Warren Freer proposed legislation in 1979 and 1980 that set the age of consent for homosexuals at 20 or 18, gay groups gave it no support.
To bring about change in the law, the gay movement needed a parliamentary champion. It found one in Member of Parliament Fran Wilde. On 7 July 1984 Fran Wilde meets with Wellington Central gay community to discuss law reform options. This meeting finalises detail of legislative strategy with draft bill to be drawn up by Don McMorland based on earlier drafts by the Auckland and Wellington groups on 13 January 1985. She consulted with gay groups to develop a private members bill, the Homosexual Law Reform Bill, which she introduced to the House of Representatives on 8 March 1985.
Many public figures were drawn into groups supporting or opposing law reform. Here, reform supporters Sonja Davies (left) and Lloyd Geering (right) talk with the bill's sponsor, MP Fran Wilde, and Bill Logan of the Gay Task Force.
When Fran Wilde was trying to gain support for the law reform she encouraged people to write letters to MPs saying they supported the law reform. She tried to encourage Religious leaders, married couples and non-gays because their support would indicate that many different people support the law reform.
The Chairman of the petitions committee said that homosexuality was, “illegal, revolting an unnatural behaviour.”