On the steps of Parliament rests a child’s coffin.
Inside is a petition asking for an investigation into New Zealand's role in the death of six people in Afghanistan eight years ago.
Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
It’s a grim sight but petitions are traditionally used to get action on an issue when other avenues, like the courts or the Ombudsman, haven’t worked.
This petition comes off the back of the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and John Stephenson which was released last year.
In the book are claims that six civilians were killed and 15 injured in a 2010 raid on two Afghan villages by New Zealand’s elite soldiers and that the Defence Force subsequently covered that up.
Photo: RNZ / Hans Weston
About 4,000 people have signed the online petition set up by the Hit and Run Inquiry Campaign which used the organisation ActionStation to collect signatures.
“The hardest part I guess was trying to get Parliament to accept it funnily enough,” campaign member Carl Bradley said.
It’s a recess week at Parliament and many of the MPs are back in their own electorates so finding one who is available is a bit of a challenge.
“There are conditions around having to present it to an MP who then tables it, [and] the wording is checked by the clerks at the office,” said Carl Bradley.
A willing MP to accept a petition isn’t the only requirement; it must also ask the Parliament to take action on an issue.
“The times when we need to do a workaround is when somebody starts a petition and doesn’t address it to Parliament,” said ActionStation board member Marianne Elliott.
“Quite often a member of the public will address their petition to a specific MP or to a specific Minister or to the Prime Minister and so then what we’d do is a covering note which asks Parliament to consider that.”
Up until recently, websites like ActionStation and Change.org played a major part in bridging the gap between technology and the rules of Parliament.
Petitions used to require the name of just one individual (not an organisation) and be presented in hard copy meaning the Table Office (so-called because they manage all the documents that go on the table in the middle of the House) had to be creative to make sure online petitions could be accepted.
The table in the centre of the debating chamber. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
“We would come up with a workaround whereby it would be the petition of one person asking the House to take note of the existence of this other online petition and then stating what that actual request was,” said Table Officer Alyson Groves.
But now Parliament has joined the likes of the United Kingdom and Australia in allowing e-Petitions through its website.
They can be online or paper-based, by an individual or an organisation.
“We are big fans of it, we think it’s a step in the direction of more democratic engagement,” said Marianne Elliott.
She doesn’t think it will mean the end of existing online petition services.
“We still think there will be a need and a place for ActionStation’s platform... You can start a petition on ActionStation’s platform that address the corporate target. Also, ActionStation can amplify and spread the word about your petition which Parliament can’t do.”
Unlike ActionStation where you can give your name and reason for singing, signatories to a petition through Parliament’s website are anonymous
“The name of the person petitioning is there,” said Alyson Grove.
“[Signatures] would be on what we call a signature sheet and it would be added to the petition if an MP agrees to present a petition... all signatures are then submitted along to the committee but they are confidential.”
She said people who’ve started an e-Petition can still present it in person and paper-based petitions are still accepted.
Once a petition is presented to the House it is referred to a select committee to consider and report back to the House.
For those thinking of starting a petition, Alyson Groves has a bit of advice.
“Ask us. Contact us, our details are there and we can help come up with a request that works for them, that covers what they want, and would be in order.”
“We encourage people to come to us before they begin their petition so that they don’t go out and collect many many signatures and then find that their request isn’t in order,” she said.
More information on petitions can be found here: Guide for petitions.
A list of current petitions can be found here: Petitions
