By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Proponents of gay adoptions in New Zealand got a boost over the weekend as an unlikely duo joined forces to sponsor a legalization bill and a major party showed signs of a changing tide.

Political rivals Nikki Kaye and Kevin Hague announced they are teaming up to draft a bill to legalize adoption by gay couples.  Kaye, a member of parliament from the right-leaning National Party, and Hague, a member of parliament from the leftist Green Party have been working on the initiative for about 18 months.

“We know there are thousands of same-sex couples bringing up children,” Kaye told 3 News.  She said it was time for the law to recognize and support that.

Gay adoption has been outlawed in New Zealand since the Adoption Act was passed in 1955.  The law only allows married couples to adopt, and Kaye said that creates a range of adoption problems for defacto heterosexual couples, same-sex couples, surrogate children, and the Maori customary adoption of “whangai,” where children are raised by other relatives.

“Kevin and I realize there are many complex policy and legal issues involved,” Kaye said in an interview with TVNZ.  “That’s why we have taken an approach where if we work together from the center-left and the center-right, and work through a number of those issues and come up with a draft bill, we can process the law that way.”

The announcement of their partnership came after the National’s northern conference voted over the weekend to support adoption by civil union couples.  Many viewed this as a precursor to a similar vote of support by the party’s national conference in July.

Efforts to overhaul the law have been led by younger members of the National Party, called the Young Nats, who sponsored the northern conference vote.  Young Nats President Daniel Fielding called the Adoption Act “archaic” and told NZ Newswire that people spoke passionately about both sides of the issue at the conference.

“It was supported enough to be passed,” he said, though he would not disclose detailed results.  The vote was held behind closed doors.

Kaye and Hague hope to finish their proposal of roughly 40 changes to New Zealand’s adoption and surrogacy laws within the next few months, and their efforts appear to be gaining high-level support.

“There are some wonderful adults out there that would love to be parents and would do a magnificent job, but they don’t get that opportunity,” Prime Minister John Key told TVNZ.  When asked if the issue could be discussed on the Parliament floor, Key told Radio Live, “I’m not afraid to have debates on those areas.”

Key, however, told the New Zealand Herald that gay adoptions were not a priority given the nation’s economy.

“My own personal opinion is the issue of gay adoption is not hugely significant issue (sic) and it’s not because it doesn’t matter to those couples who might want to adopt children,” he said.  “But the truth is less than 200 non-family adoptions take place in New Zealand at the moment.”

For further information, please see:

3 News ­— Support Grows for Gay Adoption Law Change — 28 May 2012

The New Zealand Herald ­— Gay Adoptions not a Priority – PM — 28 May 2012

The New Zealand Herald ­— Political Rivals Unite on Gay Adoptions — 28 May 2012

Radio New Zealand — National Party Begins Gay Adoption Debate — 28 May 2012

TVNZ — Key ‘Not Afraid’ to Back Gay Adoption Legislation — 28 May 2012

Yahoo! New Zealand ­— Young Nats Push for Gay Adoption — 28 May 2012