Masterton pair celebrate same-sex bill success

Nobody says they're getting civil unioned - and now they won't have to.

Last night, Labour MP Louisa Wall's marriage equality private member's bill sailed through its third reading in Parliament, allowing same-sex couples the legal right to get married.

Jills Angus Burney of Carterton and partner Deborah Hambly of Auckland had both separately given submissions on the bill before they met.

They travelled to Wellington yesterday to witness the bill's progress.

Ms Hambly, who is from Canada but has been a New Zealand citizen for the past two years, said it would be great to be able to get married.

"Nobody says 'I'm getting civil unioned'," she said.

Ms Angus Burney has not been part of any homosexual law reform campaign since the 1990s but, for the couple, it's all about fairness.

"The point I made at the select committee hearing was that we have equality in divorce, but I can't start a relationship equally and I don't think that's fair," said Ms Angus Burney.

"You can't be racist in public but a lot of those people think they can be offensive [towards gays]."

Ms Hambly, who has a 4-year-old daughter with her late female partner, said her reasons for change include being able to have a traditional family. "We claim marriage anyway but we can't actually have it," she said.

"I want my daughter to grow up talking 'once upon a time' when I couldn't get married."

Both are deeply religious. They feel their Christian beliefs are in line with the meaning of marriage and say they have the full support of their churches.

"It's a really important part of who I am," said Ms Angus Burney.

Both women have had differing experiences in being gay.

Ms Angus Burney, who has worked on human rights cases as a lawyer for the past 20 years, grew up in a time where it was harder to "come out".

Her sister was opposed to the change until Ms Angus Burney made her point. "I said: You've had three marriages, why can't I have one?"

Ms Angus Burney said some people opposed to same-sex marriage were from a generation where being gay was unacceptable.

She felt most people under the age of 40 had no problem with the idea.

"Marriage in a relationship is something that we believe in," said Ms Angus Burney.

"In a big way it would have an effect on my status as her partner. That has a huge impact on her child."

So are the couple planning on getting married?

"I think it's a given," said Ms Angus Burney.