|
1995 New Zealand firefighter referendum
The first Citizens Initiated Referendum was held in New Zealand on 2 December 1995 (1995-12-02), based on the question:
Should the number of professional firefighters employed full time in the New Zealand Fire Service be reduced below the number employed on 1 January 1995?
Results
The referendum returned an extremely low voter turnout, with less than 27% of enrolled voters casting a vote.
Results of the referendum, overall and by electorate[1]
| Electorate
|
 Y %
|
Votes
|
 N %
|
Votes
|
Total valid votes
|
Electors on Roll
|
Turnout
|
| Total
|
12.18%
|
79,475
|
87.82%
|
572,919
|
652,394
|
2,419,958
|
26.96%
|
| Albany
|
9.95%
|
1,180
|
90.05%
|
10,675
|
11,855
|
38,960
|
30.43%
|
| Aoraki
|
11.75%
|
1,428
|
88.25%
|
10,722
|
12,150
|
38,960
|
31.83%
|
| Auckland Central
|
11.09%
|
991
|
88.91%
|
7,945
|
8,936
|
38,599
|
23.15%
|
| Banks Peninsula
|
15.95%
|
2,335
|
84.05%
|
12,307
|
14,642
|
42,408
|
34.53%
|
| Bay of Plenty
|
11.60%
|
1,027
|
88.40%
|
7,828
|
8,855
|
38,333
|
23.10%
|
| Christchurch Central
|
10.87%
|
1,163
|
89.13%
|
9,538
|
10,701
|
35,478
|
30.16%
|
| Christchurch East
|
7.89%
|
1,058
|
92.11%
|
12,355
|
13,413
|
37,077
|
36.18%
|
| Clutha-Southland
|
13.90%
|
1,184
|
86.10%
|
7,335
|
8,519
|
38,158
|
22.33%
|
| Coromandel
|
11.67%
|
1,160
|
88.33%
|
8,781
|
9,941
|
40,996
|
24.25%
|
| Dunedin North
|
10.02%
|
1,360
|
89.98%
|
12,213
|
13,573
|
37,976
|
35.74%
|
| Dunedin South
|
8.13%
|
1,334
|
91.87%
|
15,084
|
16,418
|
40,672
|
40.37%
|
| Epsom
|
21.79%
|
1,873
|
78.21%
|
6,723
|
8,596
|
39,957
|
21.51%
|
| Hamilton East
|
11.51%
|
1,058
|
88.49%
|
8,734
|
9,792
|
37,349
|
26.22%
|
| Hamilton West
|
8.11%
|
835
|
91.89%
|
9,465
|
10,300
|
38,732
|
26.59%
|
| Hunua
|
10.70%
|
962
|
89.30%
|
8,032
|
8,994
|
35,006
|
25.96%
|
| Hutt South
|
18.11%
|
1,894
|
81.89%
|
8,566
|
10,460
|
36,669
|
28.53%
|
| Ilam
|
20.61%
|
2,724
|
79.39%
|
10,496
|
13,220
|
41,867
|
31.58%
|
| Invercargill
|
8.66%
|
1,054
|
91.94%
|
11,113
|
12,167
|
38,171
|
31.87%
|
| Kaikoura
|
15.55%
|
1,481
|
84.45%
|
8,045
|
9,526
|
39,131
|
24.34%
|
| Karapiro
|
10.69%
|
883
|
89.31%
|
7,376
|
8,259
|
38,203
|
21.62%
|
| Mahia
|
10.15%
|
863
|
89.85%
|
7,639
|
8,502
|
33,316
|
25.52%
|
| Mana
|
15.85%
|
1,507
|
84.15%
|
8,001
|
9,508
|
32,950
|
28.86%
|
| Mangere
|
7.83%
|
452
|
92.17%
|
5,317
|
5,769
|
29,385
|
19.63%
|
| Manukau East
|
9.56%
|
744
|
90.44%
|
7,036
|
7,780
|
36,906
|
21.08
|
| Manurewa
|
6.26%
|
455
|
93.74%
|
6,814
|
7,269
|
31,324
|
23.21%
|
| Maungakiekie
|
9.48%
|
864
|
90.52%
|
8,254
|
9,118
|
36,313
|
25.11%
|
| Napier
|
9.74%
|
1,155
|
90.26%
|
10,706
|
11,861
|
37,594
|
31.55%
|
| Nelson
|
14.45%
|
1,605
|
85.55%
|
9,504
|
11,109
|
39,510
|
28.12%
|
| New Lynn
|
6.95%
|
710
|
93.05%
|
9,509
|
10,219
|
35,016
|
29.18%
|
| New Plymouth
|
9.54%
|
1,217
|
90.56%
|
11,540
|
12,757
|
39,913
|
31.96%
|
| North Shore
|
14.26%
|
1,751
|
85.74%
|
10,530
|
12,281
|
40,741
|
30.14%
|
| Northcote
|
9.62%
|
1,082
|
90.38%
|
10,164
|
11,246
|
38,524
|
29.19%
|
| Northland
|
13.27%
|
926
|
86.73%
|
6,051
|
6,977
|
34,814
|
20.04%
|
| Ohariu-Belmont
|
23.36%
|
2,409
|
76.64%
|
7,904
|
10,313
|
37,715
|
27.34%
|
| Otago
|
12.36%
|
1,337
|
87.64%
|
9,483
|
10,820
|
42,047
|
25.73%
|
| Otaki
|
16.15%
|
1,914
|
83.85%
|
9,934
|
11,848
|
40,005
|
29.62%
|
| Owairaka
|
9.65%
|
939
|
90.35%
|
8,794
|
9,733
|
37,337
|
26.07%
|
| Pakuranga
|
11.72%
|
1,218
|
88.28%
|
9,175
|
10,393
|
38,815
|
26.78%
|
| Palmerston North
|
12.25%
|
1,412
|
87.75%
|
10,118
|
11,530
|
38,355
|
30.06%
|
| Port Waikato
|
8.56%
|
688
|
91.44%
|
7,351
|
8,039
|
34,068
|
23.60%
|
| Rakaia
|
17.21%
|
1,748
|
82.79%
|
8,406
|
10,154
|
38,878
|
26.12%
|
| Rangitikei
|
12.42%
|
1,405
|
87.68%
|
9,911
|
11,316
|
38,277
|
29.56%
|
| Rimutaka
|
13.00%
|
1,565
|
87.00%
|
10,476
|
12,041
|
36,794
|
32.73%
|
| Rodney
|
9.89%
|
1,156
|
90.11%
|
10,530
|
11,686
|
42,522
|
27.48%
|
| Rongotai
|
17.65%
|
1,934
|
82.35%
|
9,021
|
10,955
|
40,477
|
27.06%
|
| Rotorua
|
12.17%
|
1,115
|
87.85%
|
8,046
|
9,161
|
35,443
|
25.85%
|
| Tamaki
|
17.98%
|
1,659
|
82.02%
|
7,567
|
9,226
|
35,924
|
25.68%
|
| Taranaki-King Country
|
12.49%
|
905
|
87.51%
|
6,338
|
7,243
|
33,883
|
21.38%
|
| Taupo
|
13.05%
|
998
|
86.95%
|
6,647
|
7,645
|
35,412
|
21.59%
|
| Tauranga
|
11.26%
|
1,269
|
88.74%
|
10,002
|
11,271
|
43,475
|
25.93%
|
| Tukituki
|
11.66%
|
1,203
|
88.31%
|
9,117
|
10,320
|
37,321
|
27.65%
|
| Waimakariri
|
11.24%
|
1,499
|
88.76%
|
11,841
|
13,340
|
39,119
|
34.10%
|
| Waipareira
|
6.32%
|
648
|
93.68%
|
9,610
|
10,258
|
38,561
|
26.60%
|
| Wairarapa
|
14.90%
|
1,626
|
85.10%
|
9,287
|
10,913
|
38,204
|
28.57%
|
| Waitakere
|
7.41%
|
809
|
92.69%
|
10,115
|
10,924
|
36,593
|
29.85%
|
| Wellington Central
|
33.33%
|
3,738
|
66.67%
|
7,476
|
11,214
|
44,328
|
25.30%
|
| West Coast-Tasman
|
11.21%
|
1,115
|
88.79%
|
8,830
|
9,945
|
36,004
|
27.62%
|
| Whanganui
|
9.06%
|
1,098
|
90.94%
|
11,022
|
12,120
|
37,954
|
31.93%
|
| Whangarei
|
9.53%
|
1,137
|
90.47%
|
10,788
|
11,925
|
38,878
|
30.67%
|
| Wigram
|
8.08%
|
1,139
|
91.92%
|
12,952
|
14,091
|
39,983
|
35.24%
|
| Te Puku O Te Whenua
|
8.19%
|
278
|
91.81%
|
3,117
|
3,395
|
25,691
|
13.21%
|
| Te Tai Hauauru
|
7.50%
|
266
|
92.50%
|
3,280
|
3,546
|
30,916
|
11.47%
|
| Te Tai Rawhiti
|
7.92%
|
281
|
92.08%
|
3,269
|
3,550
|
30,097
|
11.80%
|
| Te Tai Tokerau
|
8.18%
|
336
|
91.82%
|
3,772
|
4,108
|
30,094
|
13.56%
|
| Te Tai Tonga
|
6.78%
|
316
|
93.22%
|
4,342
|
4,658
|
28,564
|
16.31%
|
Aftermath
The referendum was rejected with a huge margin, but career firefighter numbers were reduced regardless. There were 1819 career firefighters on 1 January 1995, 1573 in 1998 and 1702 in 2009.[2]
References
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