New Zealand set to legalise gay marriage

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's gay community was gearing up Wednesday to celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriage, which would make the country the first in the Asia-Pacific region to approve the measure.

Parliament will vote late Wednesday on a bill to amend the 1955 Marriage Act to describe marriage as a union of two people regardless of their sex, sexuality or how they choose to identify their gender.

The change is expected to pass after receiving a clear majority in two previous votes, including backing from Prime Minister John Key, as opponents launched last-minute lobbying against the move.

"There's going to be parties everywhere," LegaliseLove Wellington co-ordinator Joseph Habgood told ahead of the vote.

On the capital's Cuba Street entertainment strip, gay venues such as the San Francisco Bath House and S&M's were planning to hold parties while screening Wednesday night's debate live.

With parliament's public gallery booked out due to overwhelming demand, a big screen was erected in an overflow room near the debating chamber to accommodate hundreds of extra onlookers.

The conservative lobby group Protect Marriage continued an online campaign against the change, saying same-sex unions undermined the traditional concept of marriage.