To answer your question:

In New Zealand, it's a mostly gay friendly community.
There has been some recent political discussion about allowing same-sex unions.
Gay marriages aren't really in the picture yet, though

That about sums it up.

To add some background, same-sex relationships for consenting adults over 16 have been recognised in law/legal since about 1987.

Its illegal under the (nationwide) laws to dsicriminate on the grounds of sex, age, race or religion, sexual orientation (whether Hetero or Homo -sexual).

Contrary to local politicians of the time when the same-sex relationships legalisation was being debated by the politicians the sky has not fallen down in the 15 years since it became law, nor has HIV rocketed through the community.

Politicians have discussed/been asked to pass laws to allow same-sex marriages, but it raises some legal issues with other laws/legal definitions and won't probably be made law any time this decade.

Unions outside marriage, whether hetero or not can be "registered" for the purposes of providing a more equitable split (e.g. 50/50) in jointly owned assets when the long term relationship ends.
Such registered relationships are treated by the courts similarly to normal marriages for the purposes of dividing up assets in the relationship.

Other than that there is no protection in law for non-married couples of either sexual orientation.

However there have been a few cases where lesbian couples have applied for, and got publically funded fertility treatments to allow (one of) the women to be artificially inseminated.

Which has caused some outcries in the past - in that it seems a little unfair that someone who can otherwise conceive children (or could in a normal hetero rationship) choses not to, and then expect the tax payer to fund their lifestyle choice, while other couples with a genuine need miss out - that I disagree with.

The other point that has caused a row is that a lesbian couple have been granted legal guradianship and/or allowed to adopt children, the same does not apply for gay men. The government agencies make some lame excuse about "not being suitable parents" but if thats not sexual discrimination I don't what is.


You can do what one of my cousins did and get some guy (whose gene pool) they liked to look of, half drunk and then get him to knock them up in a alleyway behind the pub.

The odd thing was that my uncle & aunt (my cousins parents) did not know she was a lesbian and they simply were told and accepted that the father had "done a runner/bunk", whereas everyone else knew the real story.
They treat the kid like any other grandchild.