New Zealand became the 13th country in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage on Wednesday.
Seventy-seven of 121 Parliament members voted in favor of amending the 1955 Marriage Act on the gay-marriage bill’s third and final reading.
Cheers rang out after the result of the vote was announced and people from the public gallery and members of parliament began singing a tradition New Zealand love song, “Pokarekare Ana,” in the indigenous Maori language.
Amid a standing ovation, bill sponsor Louisa Wall told lawmakers that passing the bill was “our road toward healing” and went on to note:
“In our society, the meaning of marriage is universal — it’s a declaration of love and commitment to a special person, nothing could make me more proud to be a New Zealander than passing this bill.”
You can watch the preceeding from the New Zealand Parliament YouTube Channel below:
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