Civil Union Act 2004
New Zealand Parliament
Passed by	House of Representatives
Passed	9 December 2004
Royal assent	13 December 2004
Commenced	26 April 2005
Administered by	Ministry of Justice
Legislative history
Bill title	Civil Union Bill
Introduced by	David Benson-Pope
Introduced	21 June 2004
First reading	24 June 2004
Second reading	2 December 2004
Third reading	9 December 2004
Amended by
Civil Union Amendment Act 2007
Related legislation
Relationships (Statutory References) Act 2005 Property (Relationships) Amendment Act 2005 Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013
Status: Current legislation

The Civil Union Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand. It was passed into law on Thursday 9 December 2004 by a final vote of 65–55 in the New Zealand Parliament.^[1] The Act makes it legal for those in same-sex as well as heterosexual relationships to enter into a civil-union.

The Act is still in force, despite New Zealand providing same-sex marriages since 19 August 2013, under the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013.

Vote

Attitudes of political parties

The act was opposed by religious groups, including the Catholic Church. Then New Zealand National Party leader Don Brash opposed the bill, but only as he believed it should be put to a referendum. The Act was widely supported by the then-governing New Zealand Labour Party.