Ally Wanikau, left, and Lynley Bendall, of Auckland, who were married on an Air New Zealand flight between Queenstown and Auckland the day after the law change. Photo Air NZ
The provisional Statistics New Zealand figures, released today, show same-sex couples are spurning civil union in favour of traditional matrimony, with only eight civil unions in the December quarter last year - the lowest of any quarter since figures began in 2005.
There were 61 female couples married in the September quarter - which includes August when the first same sex marriages were celebrated in New Zealand - and 56 male couples.
In the December quarter, 129 female couples and 109 male couples tied the knot.
In total, there were 5214 marriages in New Zealand in the December quarter.
