Jeff Montgomery Marriage license forms are just the tip of the iceberg of changed paperwork which has been set in place by Births Deaths and Marriages staff at the Department of Internal Affairs. While all eyes are on marriage licenses with the high profile of the first same-sex marriages to be conducted in this country taking place today, other changes will also be evident. Birth and death certificates, and adoption records have also had to be carefully altered, says Chief Registrar Jeff Montgomery, speaking on the eve of the availability of same-sex marriages in this country. Documentation which previously used only terms such as "husband" and "wife" or "mother" and "father" have been altered to now include partner and to make provisions for two mothers or two fathers. Post-adoptive birth certificates have also had to be updated to allow for two people of the same sex or gender to appear as legal adoptive parents.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 19th August 2013 - 6:28am