The Prime Minister's stance on marriage equality remains the same. Green MP Kevin Hague has expressed concern that attendees of a Pacific Island church gathering with the Prime Minister in South Auckland appeared to have walked away with the impression Key would repeal New Zealand’s same-sex marriage law. John Key is just back from a holiday, and a spokeswoman has today confirmed to GayNZ.com Daily News that the Prime Minister’s feelings on the issue have not changed. “The Prime Minister, along with half of the National Party caucus, supported the Marriage Equality Bill’s passage into law,” the spokeswoman says. She says the assertion he left the meeting with the impression he will repeal the law is not correct. “I have listened again to the 20 minute speech the Prime Minister made to the Pacific Church Leaders in Mangere and gay marriage was not even mentioned.” The spokeswoman says in interaction with media after the event, it was mentioned only once - by a reporter who was speculating about why 500 people had attended the meeting in Labour’s heartland, who suggested the crowd perhaps wanted to address the gay marriage issue. “The PM responded in the negative, saying Pacific voter patterns were changing.” She says he explained that while Pacific Island people had traditionally voted Labour because when they first came to New Zealand they had low skilled jobs, they were now doing well through the schooling and university system, with aspirations the same as anyone else's – "and many were finding they were more aligned with National Party values".
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 21st July 2014 - 1:38pm