File photo There is double the chance of proposed marriage legislation going before Parliament, with separate Bills from both Labour and the Greens going into the ballot for Members' Bills. Louisa Wall and Kevin Hague have both submitted Bills to achieve marriage equality that have been accepted into the members' ballot, doubling the chance that one of them will be drawn. "Public opinion polls show that more than twice as many New Zealanders support marriage equality as oppose it. It is now time to move to extend the state's recognition of marriage to any couple who love each other,” says Wall, in a joint statement with Kevin Hague. "Marriage equality is a right whose time has come. Marriages should be based on love not gender," Hague adds. "Society is changing and the law should reflect the new social mood. People are more relaxed about same-sex relationships and want to accord full legal equality to same-sex couples," Wall adds. "Marriage is a social institution and as contained in our civil law it is a basic human right." Hague says whichever Bill is actually drawn from the ballot, the pair will be working together to support it and to gather other support from across the House. "We are looking forward to the debate and are optimistic that full legal equality can be achieved in New Zealand," Hague finishes.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 15th June 2012 - 2:22pm