Marriage Up, Divorce Down, Civil Unions Irrelevant
Family First Media Release 5 May 09

Family First NZ is welcoming the latest statistics on marriage, civil unions and divorce showing a declining rate of divorce, and an increasing number of marriages over the past decade. While the marriage rate has retained its demand and relevance, the demand for civil unions has been negligible. “The civil unions legislation has proved to be a complete white elephant,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ, “despite the claims by the previous government that it would supposedly strengthen human rights and support the choices of apparently 300,000 people who were not married but lived in stable relationships.” According to Statistics NZ data released today, there has been only 1,646 civil unions registered between April 2005 and March 2009 . These comprised 1,330 same-sex unions (594 male and 736 female) (80%), 312 opposite-sex unions and just four transfers from marriage. READ MORE
More Kiwis opting for marriage Stuff.co.nz READ MORE

Fathers’ depression ‘harms young’
BBC News 3 May 09

Children whose fathers have mental health disorders are likely to have psychiatric or behavioural disorders themselves, researchers warn. University of Oxford experts reviewed existing evidence and said, in the Lancet, there had been too much focus on mothers’ mental health issues. They said boys in particular could be affected if their father had depression or was an alcoholic. READ MORE

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