Hobbs Marian: Civil Union Bill — In Committee Procedure 
Hobbs Marian: Civil Union Bill — In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:622;Page:17539] 
Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Minister for the Environment) 
: 
 I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the bill. It is incredibly important to me. I really welcomed Deborah Coddington’s comments about the response to her children’s point of view. I too have post - 21-year-old children who share their views of society as they know it in their age—views that are pretty similar to those of Deborah Coddington’s kids as well. So I really appreciate those views and I have shared in some of those discussions. 
First of all I want to make quite clear why I am supporting the bill. I am supporting it on a conscience vote. I have watched and listened to the debate as it has gone on and I believe that there are some in the Opposition who are trying to play party politics with the legislation. This is a matter of conscience. It is a matter for me that has been a matter of conscience since I made my first speech on homosexual law reform at my first Labour conference in 1971. The vote at that particular time happened to be lost but I made my first speech then on the issue. This is very personal and very real to me. So I am making this speech and casting my vote not as a member of the Labour Party of which I am particularly proud but as Marian Hobbs an individual exercising her conscience. 
That is not because I am seeking promotion as was said by Dr Nick Smith last night who cast aspersions on all of us that we were following a particular way because we were people who wanted to curry favour. No I support it because of my own personal conscience not because I am pandering to one sector of the community. This bill honours people from whatever sector of the community they come rainbow or straight in relation to what is being offered—which was the issue raised before by Doug Woolerton. 
I also comment that this is not rushed legislation. Well over a year ago as this legislation was being debated and argued through and as the bills were being written I went to my Wellington Central electorate which I am extremely proud of and in my normal newsletter to electorate members I asked for their comments on the proposed legislation. I got back an overwhelming response supporting it. I have had letters and I have had visits and I have dealt with all of those. 
I really loved the story Mark Peck told yesterday about having a woman in his office who strongly believed that homosexuality was wrong. I have also had people in my office who strongly believe that homosexuality is wrong and that this legislation will affect the faith of the country. Mark Peck told the woman that the bill had a conscience vote and asked her whether if she were in his place she would vote according to what he wanted. But she said “No way! I’ll vote my way.” Well that is what I am doing; I am voting my way. 
However I have listened and as I said I know that my electorate supports my point of view. My emails which are absolutely taking off at the moment are running a hundred to one in favour of the legislation. My emails are just taking off. I know I have been out of the country for a week but I am still desperately clearing through them. They are a hundred to one in favour of this legislation. 
Why do I support civil union? I support civil union because it gives choice to New Zealanders. When it comes to the notion of civil union and State recognition of a relationship I rather enjoy the notion of the European practice which is that one signs and then it is acknowledged that one has joined in a relationship as regards the State. There is an optional church ceremony and the blending of the two is kept far apart. I really like the notion of separation of church and State. 
That is why I took some exception to the comments of Judy Turner last night when she said that marriage was about breeding units and she therefore opposed the recognition by the State of non-breeding units. Frankly I found that fairly offensive and I also found it a very limiting view of a relationship. 
I was brought up in the Catholic church. My mother was a nun and my father was a Jesuit seminarian. I come from a strong Catholic family. I have a sister who was a nun and a brother who was a seminarian so gee I have had it in my head all my life. But it was that limiting view which dictated that marriage was about breeding units that said to me as a young married that I could not use contraceptives within my marriage. I was detailed to be “a breeding unit” and I was not therefore able to control how I managed the children coming into my family. I now have a very different view of relationships and I strongly support this bill.