Des Smith and John Jolliff had the nation's first civil union on 1 May 2005 There were 232 same-sex civil unions among New Zealand residents last year, a small jump from the record low of just 200 in 2010. Statistics New Zealand figures show 133 of the same-sex unions were female couples, while 99 were male. It’s an increase from 2010 when there were 200 same-sex unions, 73 male and 127 female, the lowest number since civil unions were legalised in 2005. Up until 2009 the annual number of same-sex civil unions remained relatively steady at around 250 each year, after the initial surge of 227 in the eight months they were allowed in 2005 and 319 entered into across 2006. In 2011, there were also 69 opposite-sex civil unions, and 76 registered to overseas visitors. Since the first civil unions were celebrated in New Zealand in April 2005, 2,152 residents have registered one. Up to 31 December 2011, 83 civil unions had been dissolved. Statistics New Zealand says there are an insufficient number of civil unions to compare the proportion of civil unions being dissolved with the proportion of marriages ending in divorce.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 3rd May 2012 - 12:00pm