She later explained that when she was a child in the 80s, her uncle had reacted badly when propositioned by a gay man. A fight started, and the man ended up in the water on Wellington's waterfront and died.
Her uncle was charged and convicted of manslaughter - and was himself killed in a fire in jail some years later.
She said she spoke of her personal experience because it highlighted the impact homophobia had on people's lives.
"I was just remembering the guy who's life was taken because my uncle didn't want to be seen as gay, so he acted violently to a guy who was gay. It was about remembering the life that young man missed out on.
"That was top of my stomach when I stood to speak, what the trauma and homophobia had done to our family and the young man, and what he missed out on and what his family missed out on.
"It is one story of thousands that today is starting to try to address, that homophobia was upheld by law."
The motion of apology by Parliament was passed unanimously. It was delivered with the first reading of a law change to allow about 1000 men with convictions to apply for a pardon, or for their families to do so on their behalf.
That bill has been referred to Select Committee for public submissions.
