A 17 July speech against the legalization of same-sex marriage by a New Zealand Youth Parliament member has prompted a walkout by other Youth MPs.

Kura Waller chose the three month anniversary of the New Zealand Parliament voting to approve same-sex marriage to rail against the move which she described as madness, saying gay people were outside the circle of life.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, on 17 April 2013 Parliament took a vote to approve gay marriage in New Zealand,’ Waller told the Youth Parliament.

‘With 77 votes to 44, the verdict was clear. The New Zealand Parliament had gone mad.’

‘Growing up Māori, never before have my [maternal elder] and my [paternal elder] ever told me that gay marriage was ok, or that being gay was ok. But I do not mean to offend anyone here; it is just my belief. Man was created for woman, and woman was created for man. Let us not get that confused. To quote The Lion King, gay people cannot reproduce, so they are not a part of the circle of life.’

‘After the exploitation of marriage, the next thing you know, people might be going to ask for three-way marriages, four-way, and so forth. This fight is not one for equality and not one for rights.’

Labour Party Youth MP Jay Evett, Greens Party Youth MP Corey Fuimoano and National Party Youth MP Jesse Medcalf lead the walkout and were followed by around a third of the Youth House of Representatives.

‘I am proud, being gay, to have been one of the leaders of this walkout,’ Evett told New Zealand’s Gay Express.

‘There is a difference to voicing a valid opinion and preaching discrimination. It’s a real shame to see this sort of baseless ignorance still be fostered by youth – especially Youth Members of Parliament – and it was our way of showing that times have changed and this generation will not tolerate constitutionally endorsed discrimination to go unprotested.’