New Zealand yesterday legalised same-sex marriage, with a surge in marriage applications, according to New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs. New Zealand is now the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to legalise same-sex marriage, and the fourteenth country to do so worldwide.

After passing a bill in April of this year, the New Zealand parliament amended the country’s previous marriage act that had stood since 1955. The bill was approved with a majority vote of 77 to 44 in favour of amending the marriage act to allow same-sex marriage.

Read more: wikinews.org