Committee of the whole House

The debate from the Committee of the whole House on the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, recorded on March 27, 2013, discussed whether the Bill should pass without any amendments. The committee's attention was particularly focused on Clause 5A, which dealt with religious or philosophical beliefs concerning marriage solemnization. A series of amendments (SOPs) proposed by various MPs sought to further protect individuals or organizations that held objections to solemnizing marriages that countered their beliefs.

The major concerns addressed in the debate included: 1 - Protection of individual rights of marriage celebrants, including those independent of any religious or approved organization, to refuse to solemnize a marriage based on personal, philosophical, or religious grounds. 2 - Freedom of expression and whether certain sections of existing legislation might prohibit people from expressing their views on the notion of marriage particularly in light of same-sex marriage. 3 - Use of religious premises for marriage ceremonies, especially the right of religious organizations to deny the use of their spaces for marriages they don't condone. 4 - the notion of holding a referendum to allow public to decide on the issue, acknowledging that the subject of marriage equality was not a significant election matter and the public's view was considered essential by some MPs.

The Bill had been subject to passionate testimonials and illustrated the societal division over the recognition of same-sex marriage. Submitters and MPs argued both for and against the Bill, often citing moral, religious, and human rights considerations.

In the end, the committee ruled against all the proposed amendments, including those calling for referenda, on the grounds that the amendments were either outside the scope of the Bill or contradicted the decisions made during its second reading which reflected the intent of the House. The Bill was reported without amendment, upholding the committee's recommendation to acknowledge same-sex marriage without the alterations proposed throughout the debate.

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Brendan Horan Chester Borrows Chris Auchinvole Colin King David Bennett Ian McKelvie Jacinda Ardern Jo Goodhew Kevin Hague Moana Mackey Paul Goldsmith Paul Hutchison Rajen Prasad Ruth Dyson Su'a William Sio Te Ururoa Flavell Tim Macindoe Winston Peters

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