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Couples in race for first Civil Union - 26-Apr-2005

The race is on to be the first ground-breaking couple in New Zealand to seal their love with a civil union. The Civil Unions Bill, allowing same-sex and heterosexual couples to gain legal standing on a par with marriage, becomes law today. Read the full story/Visit the site - The Press

Ashhurst civil union celebrant already booked - 25-Apr-2005

Funeral celebrant and newly minted civil unionist Jean Thompson-Church has three ceremonies on her books under the new civil union law - and all are heterosexual couples. The Ashhurst Salvation Army member has registered to officiate at civil unions along with more than a dozen other people in Manawatu, Rangitikei and Horowhenua. Read the full story/Visit the site - Manawatu Standard

Civil union? Why not, say soap stars - 24-Apr-2005

Will love unite this couple? In a move likely to reflect the controversy of the Civil Union bill, Shortland Street's high-profile lesbian couple Maia and Jay may tie the knot in what would be the country's most-watched civil union ceremony. On Tuesday the hotly debated Civil Union Act comes into effect, allowing homosexual - and heterosexual - couples to officially unite. Legal formalities mean the first ceremony can't take place until after April 26, but Shortland Street - so often a barometer of New Zealand society - is already considering a same-sex civil union. Read the full story/Visit the site - Sunday Star Times Related Site - Shortland St

Planning for their civil unions - 10-Apr-2005

The couple likely to be the first to celebrate a civil union are already planning their honeymoon. And the destination? Where else but "gay Paree". With the Civil Union Act coming into effect in three weeks to grant couples an alternative to marriage, the first ceremony is likely to be between two gay Wellingtonians known as the poster boys for civil unions. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

Civil Unions Right On Track For 26 April - 1-Apr-2005

Preparations for the implementation of civil union legislation on 26 April are tracking well says the Department of Internal Affairs. Since the passing of the Civil Union Act just before Christmas 2004 the Department has been working intensively to get people, systems and processes in place for the “go live” date of 26 April says, Brian Clarke, Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Read the full story/Visit the site - Births, Deaths and Marriages - Whanautanga, Matenga, Marenatanga

Last act of civil union wrangle - 16-Mar-2005

The final chapter in the battle to legalise same-sex unions has passed into law. Companion legislation to the contentious Civil Union Act was passed yesterday by Parliament – tidying up a raft of laws by putting civil unions on the same legal footing as marriage. Read the full story/Visit the site - The Dominion Post

Josephine Bowler: Destiny Church on well-trodden moral ground - 11-Mar-2005

The cry "breakdown of the family" is heard whenever lawmaking touches on sexuality, as it did with prostitution law reform and the civil union legislation. Most recently, the Destiny Church has adopted the slogan. But there will always be a moral entrepreneur waiting to rally citizens already uneasy about change and wondering where such laws will lead. In an era of global dilemmas and increasing complexity, many yearn for a return to what seemed more stable times. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

MPs support Relationships Bill - 9-Mar-2005

MPs have supported the legislation that gives life to the Civil Union Act by 74 votes to 45 in the latest vote. The Relationships Bill amends nearly 200 pieces of law to give those in civil unions the same rights as married couples. It has to be passed before the first civil unions take place next month or they will have no legal standing. Read the full story/Visit the site - TVNZ

Protesters hold up Destiny Church march - 7-Mar-2005

A stand-off in Queen St halted thousands of Destiny marchers for more than an hour on Saturday morning. The marchers were held up by about 50 "diversity" protesters at the intersection of Shortland and Queen Streets in central Auckland but they remained well-behaved throughout the stand-off. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

Protesters tell marchers: your Destiny is not our destiny - 6-Mar-2005

PUNKS, TOPLESS lesbians, a gay Maori performance artist and a man wearing a bishop's hat and Brian Tamaki mask faced off against up to 15,000 Christians in Auckland's Queen St yesterday. The colourful scenes played out over two hours as the Christians, led by Destiny Church's Brian Tamaki, Peter Mortlock of City Impact Church and Paul de Jong, of the Christian Life Centre, marched for family values. A group of about 200 counter-demonstrators called for tolerance and diversity in society. "We don't need cult leaders in New Zealand, and we certainly don't need a cult leader like Brian Tamaki," yelled student John Young, 34. Read the full story/Visit the site - Sunday Star Times

Auckland civil union march noisy but peaceful - 5-Mar-2005

Pro and anti civil union legislation demonstrators faced off today in a noisy but peaceful confrontation in central Auckland. The confrontation happened at a march promoting "traditional family values" organised by the Destiny Church, City Impact Church, and Christian Life Centre. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

Destiny Church says no hard feelings over harbour bridge ban - 4-Mar-2005

Destiny Church expects about 10,000 people to turn up for a march in central Auckland tomorrow and says being refused permission to cross the harbour bridge was no longer an issue. Marchers will instead walk the 2.5km from the waterfront up Queen Street to Myers Park to protest at civil union legislation and to "uphold traditional family values and the institution of marriage". Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

De facto couples excluded from civil union rights - 3-Mar-2005

A parliamentary committee's decision not to extend all the legal rights of marriage and civil unions to de facto couples has won the approval of relationship experts and the Government. The justice select committee released its report on the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill, which puts civil unions on the same legal basis as marriage and has to be passed by the time the Civil Union Act comes into force on April 26. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

De facto couples in legal limbo - 2-Mar-2005

De facto couples are in legal limbo after a parliamentary committee backed down on plans to give them the same legal status as couples who marry or enter a civil union. In practice, the backdown is likely to have little effect because of the large number of laws that already treat long-term de facto relationships the same as marriage. Read the full story/Visit the site - The Dominion Post

Civil union laws set out in bill - 1-Mar-2005

Couples in civil unions will have the same legal rights as married people under legislation which has been approved by a parliamentary committee. De facto couples will not, and the committee has carefully avoided linking marriage with any other form of relationship. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

De facto law to rekindle debate - 25-Feb-2005

The last act in the contentious Civil Union Bill is about to be played out with the return of contentious legislation placing gay and de facto relationships on the same footing as marriage. But the controversy is likely to shift to the status of de facto couples under the Statutory References Bill, which is expected to rekindle debate over when couples who live together should be treated as married in the eyes of the law. Read the full story/Visit the site - The Dominion Post

Bridge ban angers Destiny Church - 4-Feb-2005

Destiny Church claims it is being discriminated against after again being refused permission to march across the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The church and other religious groups wanted to march across the bridge on March 5 to protest against the civil union legislation and a "moral slide" in traditional family values. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

Brian Rudman: Destiny can spread the word in own backyard - 28-Jan-2005

Those Destiny Church blackshirts are like V8s on legs. They're claiming a God-given right to gridlock the harbour bridge and make a great hoo-ha around Victoria Park, and expect the rest of us to welcome them with open arms. Well, not me. If they want to go strutting about shouting their messages they should do it in their own backwoods down Mt Wellington way. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

Catholic church puts ban on civil unions - 23-Jan-2005

Gay couples wanting to take advantage of new legislation allowing civil unions may be able to have a church ceremony - but not in a Catholic church. Catholics have banned the controversial ceremonies from their churches, but with the Civil Union Act due to come into effect on April 26, the Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches have not yet settled on their policies. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

Destiny Church to flout bridge veto - 22-Jan-2005

The Destiny Church plans to defy authorities and march 20,000 people across the Auckland Harbour Bridge to protest against civil unions. The Auckland motorway police say it would be a "nightmare" for the motorway network and have supported a decision by Transit New Zealand to decline an application by Brian Tamaki's Destiny Church. Read the full story/Visit the site - NZ Herald

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