New Zealand's parliament will formally apologise to men who have been convicted of homosexual crimes under a law that was repealed in 1986.
Justice Minister Amy Adams will move a motion Thursday that apologises "to those homosexual New Zealanders who were convicted for consensual adult activity and recognises the tremendous hurt and suffering those men and their families have gone through, and the continued effects the convictions have had on them".
The apology comes at the first reading of a bill that enables those convicted to have their records cleared.
New Zealand decriminalised consensual sex between men in 1986 but convictions for offences remained on record and could still appear on a criminal history check.
The Justice Ministry estimates there are still about 1000 men alive who have been convicted.
In 2013, New Zealand became the first country to legalise gay marriage in the Asia-Pacific region
