Civil Unions in NZ
On the Civil Union Frequently Asked Questions page it asks How will overseas civil unions be recognised?Civil Unions entered into under another country?s legislation will not be recognised in New Zealand. The Bill establishes civil union for New Zealand. Only civil unions entered into under the Bill will be registered or recognised under New Zealand law. Civil union does not have the universality of marriage and there is wide variation in the forms of civil union and relationship registration available overseas.
This is a surprising answer as earlier I had been told that gay marriages made overseas would be recognised as civil unions. Looking at the text of the bill, and searching for overseas I see the following:
The provisions largely repeat those that apply to marriage but are simpler because the only relevant civil unions are those entered into under this Bill, whereas the equivalent provisions for marriage provide for the registration of marriages entered into overseas as well as certain marriages entered into otherwise than under the Marriage Act 1955.
To my understanding this says a gay marriage from Massachusetts will be recognised as a marriage, but a civil union registered in Vermont will not be recognised as a relationship of any sort.
Not recognising foreign civil unions means one cannot dissolve a foreign union, and a marriage or civil union could be performed in NZ. This means you could be a bigamist only while outside NZ.
In the wording you don't get to call someone your husband. They are one of the parties to a civil union. For wife the term is the other party to a civil union. These phrases really roll off the tongue <sarcasm/>.
