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Recognising Non-Conjugal Relationships in New Zealand

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Recognising Non-Conjugal Relationships in New Zealand LORRAINE JOHNS RECOGNISING NON-CONJUGAL RELATIONSHIPS IN NEW ZEALAND: SHOULD WE EXTEND THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARRIAGE AND MARRIAGE-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER CARING RELATIONSHIPS? LLM RESEARCH PAPER LAWS 591: THESIS FACULTY OF LAW 2010 Table of Contents Chapter One I Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 II Structure of Thesis ................................................................................ 4 III Setting the Scene .................................................................................. 5 A What Are Non-Conjugal Relationships? ............................................... 6 B The Legal Recognition of Non-Conjugal Relationships: Why is This an Important Issue? ....................................................................... 8 C The Demographics of Non-Conjugal Relationships: How Common Are They? ............................................................................................. 9 D Examples of Non-Conjugal Relationships Already Recognised by New Zealand Law ................................................................................ 12 E Recognising Non-Conjugal Relationships - the Human Rights Dimension ........................................................................................... 17 IV Principles for Recognising Personal Relationships ............................... 18 A Equality ............................................................................................... 19 B Autonomy ............................................................................................ 20 C Other Important Principles ................................................................... 21 1 Personal security and protecting the vulnerable ................................. 21 2 Privacy.............................................................................................. 22 3 Religious freedom and freedom of conscience .................................. 23 4 The protection of reasonable expectations ......................................... 23 5 Other principles of good policy design: efficiency, coherence and clarity ............................................................................................... 24 V Conclusion ........................................................................................... 25 Chapter Two I Introduction ......................................................................................... 26 II The Origins of “Conjugality” ............................................................... 27 III Marriage and Conjugality .................................................................... 27 A Historical Social and Legal Understandings of Marriage ...................... 28 B Contemporary Social Understandings of Marriage ............................... 29 1 Marrying for love, not material benefits? .......................................... 29 2 Marriage as the quintessential relationship? ...................................... 31 3 Marriage and children ....................................................................... 32 C The Contemporary Legal Approach to Marriage .................................. 33 IV Conjugality and the Social Sciences ..................................................... 34 A The Contribution of Philosophy – Conjugal Love as Unique ................ 35 1 Autonomy as freedom to pursue the Good......................................... 35 2 Being valued underpins our desire to pursue the Good ...................... 36 3 Conjugal love has unique value because it is exclusive...................... 37 4 Critique of Bennett’s account of conjugal love .................................. 39 B The Importance of Support Networks and Companionship ................... 41 V Burden v United Kingdom ................................................................... 42 A Background: The Civil Partnership Act 2004 (UK) .............................. 43 B The Facts of Burden v United Kingdom ............................................... 44 C Arguments by the Parties ..................................................................... 44 i 1 The Burden sisters’ argument ............................................................ 44 2 The United Kingdom’s response ....................................................... 45 D Decision of the European Court of Human Rights at First Instance ...... 46 1 The majority Judges .......................................................................... 46 2 The dissenting judges ........................................................................ 47 E Decision of the Grand Chamber on Appeal .......................................... 48 1 The majority judges .......................................................................... 48 2 The dissenting judges ........................................................................ 50 F Burden v United Kingdom: Concluding Thoughts................................ 50 VI De Facto Relationships: The Legal Test for Conjugality ...................... 51 A What is Marriage-Like Like? ............................................................... 52 1 Sexual intimacy ................................................................................ 54 2 Commitment to a shared life and living together as a couple ............. 56 3 Conclusion – destablisation of the conceptual divide between conjugality and non-conjugality ........................................................ 58 VII The State’s Interest in Recognising a Wider Range of Personal Relationships ....................................................................................... 60 VIII Non-Conjugal Relationships as Family Relationships .......................... 61 IX Conclusion ........................................................................................... 63 Chapter Three I Introduction ......................................................................................... 65 II Models for Recognising Relationships ................................................. 66 A Registration ......................................................................................... 67 1 General features ................................................................................ 67 2 Registration and non-conjugal relationships ...................................... 69 B Ascription ............................................................................................ 70 1 General features ................................................................................ 70 2 Ascription and non-conjugal relationships ......................................... 72 C Private Law and Contract ..................................................................... 72 1 General features ................................................................................ 72 2 Private contract and non-conjugal relationships ................................. 75 III Conclusion ........................................................................................... 75 Chapter Four I Introduction ......................................................................................... 77 II Australia .............................................................................................. 77 A Australian Capital Territory ................................................................. 79 1 “Domestic Relationships” ................................................................. 79 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ............................. 80 B New South Wales ................................................................................ 83 1 “Domestic Relationships” ................................................................. 83 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ............................. 85 C Tasmania ............................................................................................. 88 1 “Significant” and “caring relationships” ............................................ 88 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ............................. 90 D Victoria................................................................................................ 92 1 “Registered caring relationships” ...................................................... 92 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ............................. 94 ii III Canada ................................................................................................. 95 A Alberta ................................................................................................. 97 1 “Adult interdependent relationships” ................................................. 97 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ............................. 99 B Nova Scotia ....................................................................................... 101 1 “Registered partnerships” ................................................................ 101 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ........................... 103 IV United States of America ................................................................... 104 A Hawaii ............................................................................................... 105 1 Reciprocal beneficiary relationships ................................................ 105 2 Application of relationship recognition principles ........................... 106 B Vermont
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