3 News 27 March 2013
The gay marriage bill is safely through another stage in Parliament and only needs to pass its third reading to become law. During its committee stage this evening opponents put up a raft of amendments and all of them were heavily defeated. The vote that gave the bill the green light for a third reading was 77-43. A bid by NZ First leader Winston Peters to hold up the bill by forcing a referendum on gay marriage was ruled out of order on the grounds that Parliament had already decided it should proceed by passing the bill on its second reading. Mr Peters had argued gay marriage was so divisive it shouldn’t be decided by 121 MPs and warned that without a clear public mandate politicians would be targets of bitter recrimination. Amendments that were put to a vote focused on protecting the right of celebrants to refuse to marry gay couples.
Groups divided on marriage bill
NZ Herald 28 March 2013
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10874111
Gay marriage bill could pass next month
Dominion Post 27 March 2013
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8481351/Gay-marriage-bill-could-pass-next-month
