Even big brands got into the Winter Pride spirit. Superdry Queenstown, which opened their doors at the start of the festival invited influencers Christian Newman and Mark Edwards (@LoveFromYourDads) to come and join in the celebrations. The couple have made national headlines following Christian delivering a 30,000-signature petition to parliament calling for adoption reform.
The petition was received by MPs Louisa Wall and Paul Eagle. MP Tamati Coffey, who recently became a father with his partner, Tim said his own surrogacy journey highlighted for him, problems with the current law and said it was his belief ‘this could be better.’
Christian and Mark say they want changes to the Adoption Act which would allow for surrogates to be compensated and biological parents to be able to be named on birth certificates, neither of which is currently permitted. They also want to see changes to the laws around how gay couples adopt internationally.
Christian told reporters he decided to take the issue to Parliament after visits from Oranga Tamariki. “[They] came through our home and asked us questions about our school, our dog, the way that we live our lives.”
“It just got worse from there, the bureaucracy, the time and the effort continued to go on. I knew I had to make a change for those families in need and also for the families that wanted to have children and either couldn’t afford it, it was too hard or they didn’t understand.”
It appears likely that change could be on the way, with both Coffey and Wall expressing their support for updated adoption laws.
Originally from Queenstown, Christian told express he was thrilled to return for Superdry’s opening. “I’m a huge fan of the brand so I couldn’t pass up the chance to come home and show off my hometown,” he said.
Superdry Queenstown is located at 35 Beach Street – Go check them out!
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