PRESS RELEASE

8 Mar 2013
Government’s Priorities Misplaced

“The unseemly haste to redefine marriage does not work in the best interest of New Zealand,” says Colin Craig, Leader of the Conservative Party.

“As the Government continues to move to redefine marriage, questions need to be asked about priorities.”

“It was my expectation when Mr. Key said the economy would be the priority of the National Government, that social activist issues such as gay marriage would not be fast tracked. However, it is fast becoming clear that the legacy of this National Government will be one of social reform, not of economic achievement,” he says.

“We were promised an increased growth rate, but our growth rate has declined. We were promised better fiscal management, but budget deficits have increased. These are the matters that need urgent attention. The Government’s priorities are misplaced,” Mr. Craig says.

The push to redefine marriage becomes obvious when comparison is made with other bills before the same Select Committee; the Parental Leave and Employment Bill, the Lobbying Disclosure Bill and the Members of Parliament Remuneration and Services Bill have all been given over a year from First Reading to Select Committee report stage. In startling contrast, Redefinition of Marriage, a matter which received nearly 20,000 submissions, and holds much greater public interest than the aforementioned, has been pushed through the Select Committee in just seven months. This haste has only been possible by denying many submitters the right to present to the committee. The committee heard approximately 1% of submitters.

“Good decisions come when we have enough maturity to fully debate proposed changes. Hasty decisions are often bad decisions, and the rush to pass this bill is entirely inappropriate,” says Colin Craig.

“Supporters of this bill however, find themselves needing to rush this legislation through, as support for it continues to decline.”

The results below show that support for same sex marriage has steadily decreased since this bill was introduced.
Name of Poll Date Percentage Support for Same Sex Marriage Drop in Support
TVNZ Colmar Brunton June 2012 63% 16%
Herald on Sunday December 2012 54%
Curia Research February 2013 47%

Alternatively, look at Research New Zealand’s polling on the matter:
Name of Poll Date Percentage Support for Same Sex Marriage Drop in Support

Research NZ July 2011 60% 11%
Research NZ September 2012 49%

“The fact is, the longer this debate continues, the more people return to the traditional view of marriage being between a man and a woman. This same trend is observed overseas.”

“New Zealanders have the maturity to make good decisions. This matter should be decided by a referendum of voters at the election next year,” says Colin Craig.

ENDS

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