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I. Introduction
As is common in other Western countries, in New Zealand, many couples live together without being married. According to the 2013 census, 409,377 people ticked the box to indicate that they were living in a de facto relationship. Another 60,879 described themselves as being "partnered," which for most would be the same thing as being in a de facto relationship. De facto couples represent 21.5% of all couples, but, if we add in the extra "partnerships," the figure is 24.7%. In other words, approximately a quarter of New Zealanders who are in some sort of relationship are not married to their partners.
The statistics also indicate an increase in the numbers over a period of time. When the census first asked a question about de facto relationships in 1981, the number was 87,960 people. Five years later, this had climbed to 115,029 and then 161,856 in 1991. The figures reveal a major shift in social conditions and attitudes. This is reflected, in particular, in the figures for younger people. In 1996, of people aged fifteen to forty-four in partnerships of some kind, 25% were de facto. The equivalent ten years later for that same group was 35%. This does not mean, however, that marriage has been rejected. It is true that the marriage rate has fallen over the years. In 1971, it was 45.5 per 1,000 unmarried persons age sixteen and over. In 2014, the rate was 11.6, which is an increase from 10.9 in 2013. In fact, the marriage rate has been steady over the last few years, but on the whole, people are getting married at an older age, with an average age of 30.2 for men marrying for the first time in 2014 and 28.7 for women. What this suggests is that many younger people live together before they get engaged and then married. Many young New Zealanders will travel overseas in their twenties, usually to Europe, and then return, ready to settle down and have children. Getting married is often part of that process.
One interesting figure that suggests people may prefer to get married before having children is indicated by the percentage of ex-nuptial births. In 2010, 48.9% of all births were ex-nuptial, compared with 24% in...