Gay unions okay (just don't call it marriage)

By DIANA McCURDY


More than half of New Zealanders support the Government's proposal to recognise same-sex relationships in law as a civil union.

But we are still not comfortable with giving gay couples the right to marry.

A Herald-DigiPoll survey found that although 56.4 per cent of people supported the idea of same-sex civil unions, only 39.8 per cent favoured allowing same-sex couples to marry under the Marriage Act.

The survey offers a glimpse into the mindset of ordinary New Zealanders in a debate which has been dominated by extreme views at either end. Its findings are backed by a Weekend Herald investigation which found that, while some people hold strong views, most are open-minded about the issue.

During the investigation, five reporters interviewed 60 people in Ellerslie and Paeroa - two communities chosen because their demography roughly mirrors that of wider New Zealand in terms of ethnicity, income and age.

The Civil Union Bill - which would allow both straight and gay couples to register a civil union as an alternative to marriage - is before a select committee and is due to be reported back to Parliament by the end of the year. It passed its first reading in Parliament in June by 66 votes to 50.

Truck driver Patrick Mokaraka, 24, told the Weekend Herald he disagreed with the idea of same-sex marriage but felt the decision should be left to individuals.

"I don't really like that carry-on, but I suppose it's up to the people ... Marriage is about how people want to make a family. If they want to go marrying men with men or lady on lady ... It's just I've never been brought up like that. It's pretty weird."

Though Mr Mokaraka believed civil unions would undermine marriage, he was not opposed to the bill. "Why not? I'd really say no, but I suppose times change. Things change."

Ellerslie pharmacy technician Jennie Gow supported both civil unions and gay marriage. "What's the difference, just because you're the same sex? You've got the same responsibilities and put the same amount into a relationship as an ordinary couple. People can't help it if they're gay."

Paeroa shop assistant Joan Lines, 60, agreed: "Everybody to their own. Why not? ... I feel they are not going to harm anybody else, are they?"

Others were firmly opposed. Paeroa pastor Dave Muspratt, 59, said civil unions would undermine marriage. "They're not calling it marriage at this point in time but you have to look where this is leading."

In the Herald-DigiPoll survey, 57 per cent said they believed a civil union should carry the same rights as marriage.

If the law passes and civil unions become a reality, 53 per cent of those polled expect that most people will not distinguish between civil unions and marriage in ordinary conversation.

Seven out of 10 said that, given the choice, they would still choose marriage over a civil union. And 42.7 per cent said they thought the Civil Union Bill would undermine the status of marriage.

Only a minority (33.1 per cent) believed churches should bless civil unions with a religious ceremony as is done with marriage. Many - 17.3 per cent - said they did not know or refused to answer.

In the Weekend Herald investigation, the main reservations expressed by supporters of the bill were concerns about the implications for children. As things now stand, neither the Civil Union Bill nor its companion legislation the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill alter rules surrounding adoption. However, those rules are undergoing other reviews.