Sir Gerard Aloysius Wall 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."
Wall first entered politics at a local level and was a member of both the Marlborough Hospital Board and Blenheim Borough Council. While in Blenheim, he first stood for Parliament in the against the incumbent Tom Shand of the National Party in the electorate, cutting Shand's majority from 2,111 to 732, but was unsuccessful. Soon afterwards was invited to contest the Labour nomination in the 1967 Petone by-election. As a non-resident of the Wellington area, his mentioning caused surprise, ultimately however he was not selected as the candidate. The family moved to Porirua, where he successfully contested the Porirua electorate in the for the Labour Party. Wall was a member of the Catholic faith and his socially conservative views frequently led him to clash with other Labour MPs and party members. He, like Norman Kirk, was pro-life and staunchly opposed abortion, going as far as to introduce a bill aimed at closing private abortion clinics. Wall's next clash with colleagues came over the Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986 which he opposed. Wall went as far as to propose a two-year prison sentence for anyone telling persons under the age of 20 that homosexual behavior was normal. When the vote was held Wall did not vote against the bill however. Wall had a reputation as a "prickly character" and his inclination to follow his convictions, even when they contradicted his colleagues, cost him political advancement. Consequently, he was overlooked for a place in cabinet during both the Third and Fourth Labour Governments. 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. He was also challenged for the nomination by Rosslyn Noonan, a feminist activist, in protest to his anti-abortion stance. Parliamentary colleague Mike Moore said "He was a man of fierce and strong opinions... he was a unique character who made great sacrifices for his principles." He was elected as Speaker following Sir Basil Arthur's death in 1985 and served in this role until 1987. 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 which was defeated. A Labour Party rule necessitated his retirement after reaching 65 and he reluctantly retired at the. He was replaced in the Porirua electorate by Graham Kelly.
