Former National MP Paul Quinn has ruled out a return to Parliament to replace Jackie Blue.

NZ is set become the 13th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. Scroll through our interactive timeline above to see NZ's history of rights for gay people.

Some MPs who have voted against the same-sex marriage bill have not changed their minds on the matter leading up the bill's final reading tonight.

An Eketahuna man who confronted a gay couple on the town's main street, called them poofters and accused them of spreading Aids was yesterday convicted of using offensive language.

Editorial: When the Marriage Equality Bill passes its final vote in Parliament, possibly tonight, it will signify a marked social change.

New Zealand is expected to become the 13th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage this evening as a bill to amend marriage law comes before Parliament.

Labour and the unions have cried foul over the appointment of MP Jackie Blue as the new Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner.

New Zealand could play a role in repealing Papua New Guinean sorcery legislation following an Easter "witch-hunt", Amnesty International says.

A victim advocacy group is refusing to remove the name and photo of a convicted paedophile from its website despite an accusation by the Human Rights Commission.

The advice from the front office at East Side High in Cleveland, Mississippi, is clear

His upbeat oratory reflected his country's innate optimism, despite the turbulence of the times.

The Universe is 13.82 billion years old, give or take 20 million years. This was established from precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background.

How can a second-term government - often distracted by its own blunders - continue to poll around the record levels it was elected on, asks Bryce Edwards.

It seems odd that Dame Susan Devoy applied for the job of Race Relations Commissioner. It is even odder that she got it.

The reaction to the appointment of Susan Devoy as the new Race Relations Commissioner demonstrates NZ's sensitivity on Maori issues, writes Bryce Edwards.

In a bid to combat homophobia, a new ad campaign has been launched in Quebec asking readers "How open are you?"

Three prison guards in Fiji have been sacked over a video of detainees being beaten and tortured.

After months of emotional submissions and some bitter protest, a bill to legalise same-sex marriage appears likely to pass another hurdle.

A Grey Power official's complaints about immigration have been labelled uninformed, but the group's central Auckland president says they reflect the feeling of many elderly.

The government administration select committee report to Parliament recommends the passing of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill with certain amendments.

Parliament will be asked to condemn the brutal beating and torture of Fijian prisoners, which Fiji's Prime Minister is standing by.

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says he will support his men if they were involved in the repeated beating an escaped prisoner.

NZ has been ranked the best place in the world to be a working woman - but one advocate says the major obstacles and inequalities for women here are getting worse.

Prime Minister John Key says a video of Fijian men apparently being beaten is "alarming and concerning" and it will be raised with the Fiji government.

Amnesty International is investigating a graphic video posted on the internet, which show men being beaten and tortured in Fiji.

The challenge for those in this discussion is to acknowledge and respect the values of others and to be courageous and generous in love, writes Russell Hoban.

Photographs have emerged which raise fresh questions about the conduct of Sri Lanka's armed forces during the final stages of the operation against Tamil rebels.