STORY:
New Zealand Allows Midnight 2000 Weddings

Couples wanting to tie the knot as the world enters the year 2000 will now be able to marry on the stroke of midnight in the first time zone to greet the new year.

According to a Reuters story, New Zealand's parliament has agreed to relax a rule banning weddings between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., clearing the way for marriages as the year begins.

New Zealand, a well-established destination in the Asian wedding and honeymoon market, is looking to capitalize on a government-backed "First to the Future" campaign and draw more tourists over the December/January period.

The article says plans include a flood-lit golf tournament teeing off at midnight on December 31 and dubbed "the world's first golf tournament of the 21st Century."

The organizer, the Christchurch Casino, said the First Strike tournament would be played on an 18-hole course at Russley in the South Island city, and profits would go to local and international charities.

Despite the myriad of plans to attract visitors, Tourism Board chairman Peter Allport said he did not expect New Zealand to be overrun with brides and golfers.

Source: Reuters

DATE: 5/05/99

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