More than 30 same-sex couples will say “I do” today when New Zealand becomes the first Asia-Pacific country and the 14th in the world to legalize gay marriage.
The move has sparked a raft of competitions to set wedding firsts, but unease among the religious community.
US actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, from the hit comedy Modern Family, will be the guest of honor when Air New Zealand hosts a same-sex marriage on an early flight from Auckland to Queenstown.
Two radio stations are also vying to host the first same-sex wedding, with the ceremonies broadcast live during their breakfast programs.
The first Australian couple to wed will be Paul McCarthy and Trent Kandler from New South Wales State, who beat 300 other pairs to win a Tourism New Zealand competition.
Their wedding will not be legally recognized in Australia, but McCarthy said it was “both historically significant and an important step in our personal lives.”
About 1,000 same-sex couples in Australia have indicated that they plan to travel to New Zealand to marry, according to the Australian Marriage Equality lobby group.
The Australian Department of Internal Affairs yesterday said that same-sex couples had flocked to registry offices in recent weeks to pick up marriage licenses and 31 couples had indicated they would be getting married today, despite Mondays usually being the least popular day for weddings.
“They were really excited, congratulating each other and themselves that the law change had come into effect so they were able to marry,” registrar-general of marriages Jeff Montgomery told reporters.
There has also been overseas interest from Russia, the US, Hong Kong, Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, Guyana and Belgium.
However, Christian churches were uneasy about the new law, with Roman Catholics opposed outright while Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists were split.
The Anglican Church asked its ministers to refrain from conducting same-sex weddings pending a report to its general synod next year.
Meanwhile, a new group has been formed calling for legalized multi-partner marriages.
A statement on the “Support legalized Polyamory in NZ” Facebook page said it wanted legal recognition of “responsible, adult, committed non-monogamy [plural marriage of any gender] marriage or union.”
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: By showing Ju-ae’s ability to handle a weapon, the photos ‘suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,’ an academic said North Korea on Saturday released a rare image of leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor. Kim’s daughter, Ju-ae, has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including last week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju-ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust and positivity,” Modi said. Carney’s visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
Counting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government. Key figures vying for power include former Nepalese prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, who is bidding for the youth vote, and newly elected Nepali Congress party leader Gagan Thapa. In Kathmandu’s tea shops and city squares, people were glued to their phones, checking results as early trends flashed up — suggesting Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was ahead. Nepalese Election Commission spokesman Prakash Nyupane said the counting was ongoing “in a peaceful manner”
RSS