Could New Zealand be the following country to grant same-sex marriage rights?

It will be if NZ Prime Minister John Key has his way.

Speaking to RadioLive NZ on July 30, Key said he would use a conscience vote to support  MP Louisa Wall‘s Marriage Equality Bill, which was pulled from Parliament last week.

Key commented: “My view has been that if two gay people want to get married then I can’t see why it would undermine my marriage to Bronagh (his wife). There will be plenty of people in our caucus who will be deeply opposed – particularly the very religious right and I can understand that.”

Key suggested further debates would be necessary if there were to be any hope of the bill passing. He said that the debates would be as “dramatic” as that heard over homosexual law reform many years ago.

Opinion polls show 64% of New Zealanders are in favour of same-sex marriage – up from 40% when they were initially polled in 2004