A parliamentary committee heard from both sides of the gay marriage debate on Wednesday.
"Please give me the right to get married," TVNZ journalist Matt McLean told the government administration committee.
"I believe in love. I believe in being able to celebrate that love with the man I love."
Mr McLean told the committee that his father owned a construction company, played rugby when he was younger, lived in Central Otago and drank Speights beer.
His father sent him a text message on Wednesday morning saying how proud he was of him and that he should "go on and make a difference", he said.
Mr McLean was followed by members of the Wellington Tongan Leaders' Forum who argued against gay marriage.
"Our children need to call their mums mums and dads dads," a member of the group said.
She said children would suffer if gay marriage was allowed and the state should not presume to re-engineer a natural human institution.
New Zealand's gay marriage bill earlier passed its first reading in parliament by 80 votes to 40.
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