New Zealand Legalize Same Sex Marriage -Wednesday April 17,2013

New Zealand's parliament has legalized same-sex marriage, the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so.77 of 121 members voted in favour of amending the 1955 Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to wed.The legislation comes after New Zealand gave same-sex relationships partial recognition in 2005 with the establishment of civil unions.

Lawmakers approved the bill on Wednesday April 17,2013, amending the country's 1955 marriage act.

New Zealand became the 13th nation in the world to legalise same-sex weddings after MPs voted 77 to 44 in favour of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill.

The public gallery in  NZParliament breaks into song following the vote, singing the traditional Maori love song Pokarekare Ana.

Hundreds of people wait for a place in the public gallery to see the chamber vote on a bill amending the 1955 Marriage Act.

Thirty-one same-sex couples had been due to marry on Monday Aug 19,2013 according to the Department of Internal Affairs
Among the first couples tying the knot were Auckland couple Tash Vitali and Melissa Ray, who won an all expenses paid ceremony in a radio competition

Another couple, Lynley Bendall and Ally Wanikau, made their vows in their air on a special flight between Queenstown and Auckland - in a ceremony attended by US actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson from the sitcom Modern Family

Note

In all, 12 nations around the world now have taken this step as of April 2013.  They are -

• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Norway
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Spain
• Portugal
• Canada
• South Africa
• Argentina
• Iceland and 
• Uruguay