A close vote is expected for the first reading of the Civil Union bill next Thursday, with two party leaders confirming their opposition to it. A spokesman for Winston Peters said he was likely to vote against it, as would most NZ First MPs. United Future leader Peter Dunne's position has been made very clear – his party launched a taxpayer-funded ad campaign against the bill. National leader Don Brash, however, is still publicly declaring his pencilled-in support for the bill. "I don't see it myself as a threat to the institution of marriage," he says. "It certainly doesn't threaten my marriage to allow people to choose not to have a marriage but want some kind of formal recognition of their relationship, be they heterosexual or gay."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 16th June 2004 - 12:00pm