Good things - like PhDs - take time

It's been a long time between degrees for law student Nigel Christie. The Wellington-based student graduated with his Bachelor of Laws back in 1994 and this month he graduates with his PhD from the University of Waikato. His thesis looks at access to marriage for same sex couples.

Christie studied part-time for his doctorate - by day he's an operational policy specialist at the Ministry of Justice. "I started my PhD pre-civil union days and so while I studied I did see some big changes in legislation, but same sex couples still don't have the same rights as heterosexual couples. They cannot choose whether or not to get married. That option is denied, so my PhD took a human rights perspective."

Christie says a lot of his doctoral research looked at examples from overseas; in Canada, the US, South Africa and different European nations. "South Africa moved quickly. In about a decade it transformed from a strict apartheid regime to a country that constitutionally protected human rights equality and allowed same sex marriage. That's an extreme pendulum swing. I think New Zealand will legislate for same sex marriages eventually, but it should have happened already."

He says real acceptance, of same sex marriages could take longer. He says tolerance is not enough, and legislation is one way to help bring about changes in attitude.

"Like the anti-smacking legislation or the drink drive laws, legislation may not change people's attitudes immediately, but it does create awareness and prompt people to consider their behaviours."

Christie says he chose to study at Waikato Law School because it offers law in context. "Law can't happen in a vacuum, it has to be relevant to what's going on around us, and Waikato does that – it looks at the law slightly differently, it teaches law within a social and cultural context."

After studying for more than 15 years, Nigel Christie has been told by family, friends and colleagues to sit on his hands and not to enrol for any more qualifications. "I probably won't do any more formal study, but I'm pretty sure I'll find other ways to address issues that are important to me."

He will graduate with his PhD on October 23.