MPs remain apart on civil union bill | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

With the controversial new laws that will allow heterosexual and same-sex couples to formally register their relationship perhaps just a week away from being passed, Wairarapa's two MPs remain at loggerheads over the Civil Union Bill.

Supporters of the bill, which passed its second reading last night, say the issue is a human rights issue. Opponents say it's a gay marriage by stealth.

Labour MP Georgina Beyer and NZ First MP Edwin Perry also disagree over calls for a referendum on the bill.

Ms Beyer, a strong supporter of the bill, said calls for a referendum betrayed a "hidden agenda".

Opponents were losing the argument and referendum calls were just another tactic to stop the bill.

Civil union wasn't an appropriate issue for a referendum, she said. It was about human rights and there are 300,000 de-facto couple the bill will have an impact on.

MPs are elected to make decisions and a referendum is a cop-out, she said.

Ms Beyer said she is confident the bill will pass its third and final reading under urgency, probably next week.

"We don't discriminate against blind or disabled people why do we discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation?"

Mr Perry said his preference would be for the bill to go to a referendum.

If a referendum were held he predicted it would be lost by a small margin.

Mr Perry, who sat on the select committee that heard submissions on the bill, said while he recognises the there were some anomalies in the current law "God intended Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve".

He said he had received almost 1000 emails, letters and phone calls about the bill. They had run about 60:40 against the proposal.

He said NZ First MPs were also divided on the issue, with MPs Ron Mark and Brian Donnelly voting for the new law.