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.

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

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.

Does equality require same sex marriage? Vote and have your say. Gay unions are inherently different, writes one contributor, while another argues that all love deserves respect.

Dame Susan Devoy admits it will "take time to understand a Maori viewpoint" - and promises her actions as Race Relations Commissioner will speak louder than her words.

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.

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.

Join us as we follow tonight's online debate on Louisa Wall's marriage equality bill.

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.

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.

The return of a Pride Parade to Auckland has been declared a fabulous success.

Auckland Muslim Jason Kennedy penned this open letter to New Zealand First MP Richard Prosser after his controversial column about Muslims made headlines.

Prices would have to go up by 6 to 8 per cent to pay a "living wage" of $18.40 an hour to workers in the lowest-paid sectors - hospitality and retailing.

I loved the fact that Auckland had hotels in the 1930s that catered to the gay trade where you could rent a room and share a bed with your same-sex partner.