Civil union opponents critical of the modest number of couples registering their unions so far are guilty of flip-flopping, suggest supporters. Amanda McGrail of the religious-right think tank Maxim Institute says the small number of couplers registered so far need to be weighed up against the thousands of submissions – mostly form-letters from Christian pressure groups – that Parliament received in opposition to civil unions. But Jeremy Lambert of the Campaign for Civil Unions says Maxim's current argument negates the one they made in opposing the legislation. “These are the same people who were predicting all sorts of doom and gloom for New Zealanders,” he says. “Apparently it was going to be the downfall of marriage and families as we know it, so it's interesting to see that the attack on this has changed significantly with the release of these figures.” NZ First leader Winston Peters, in full electioneering mode, has laid into the government over the numbers, telling an audience in Timaru that the whole exercise has been a waste of time. "Where are these hordes of gays lining up to walk down the aisle?" he demanded. "This PC driven government has now left itself totally exposed over this issue. They inflicted a full frontal assault on the nation over gay marriage, without giving ordinary New Zealanders their say, and now it seems even the gay community doesn't want it." Michael Bancroft, a marriage celebrant with eighteen years experience, recently registered as a civil union celebrant. He says he's unsurprised by the numbers so far. “One of the realities of life with most people is that when they want to make the big step, and this is a big step, to publicly make a commitment which then has legal bindings to it...[they] don't rush into those things without good thoughts and with sincerity,” he says. Internal Affairs spokesman Tony Wallace says requests for civil union information packs are still popular and he expects the number of unions to increase as summer approaches. Meanwhile, although the numbers may not be the avalanche that some predicted, civil unions are continuing around the country. Leilana and Jamie Colban became the first same-sex couple to civilly unite in South Taranaki the Saturday before last, and Ann Duncan has her civil union ceremony with partner Frances Burton-Brown booked for next week. Duncan says it's a celebration of living in a country where their relationship is recognised and her children and grandchildren are legally taken care of. "I'm forty-nine now, I've been living with a fantastic woman and I feel that for me this is the right thing to do," she says. "I'm absolutely delighted and thrilled."