Adrian Jarvis,
Acting Registrar-General;
Services and Access
Message from Acting Registrar-General
Jeff is off for a few weeks for a well-earned holiday in Florida.
I have been given the privilege of acting for him as Registrar-General and General Manager of Services and Access for the next three weeks (4th-24th September).
By the time Jeff returns, we will be about to introduce the new Save and Resume function for people applying for marriage licences online.
We'll also have had another 750 couples apply online to get married, making the total over 14,000 couples so far.
The celebrant renewal for 2019 is almost upon us as you'll have noticed from the last issue of Ngātahi. Independent celebrants is from 1 October to 29 October 2018 and organisational celebrants is from 5 November to 3 December 2018. Now is a good time to prepare for the upcoming renewal.
Next step in moving an old process online
It's been a mainstay of marriages for as long as we can remember that one of the parties needs to front up in person at a Registrar's office to sign a statutory declaration.
In late October or early November 2018, couples may be able to make an electronic verification when applying for their marriage licence online. That means they can make the usual declaration online instead of traveling to a registry office. Couples will be able to apply and pay online to get married, pre-order a marriage certificate and get their licence emailed to them - all without needing to front up in person.
Adding Save and Resume
From the beginning of October, customers will be able to save their partially completed marriage licence application for up to 30 days using their RealMe login.
This gives customers the peace of mind that if they need to take a break while completing the licence application, for example, to find out extra information such as a parent's full name, they will be able to complete it when they return.
Paper based applications
There are some applications that we get so few of they will remain only on paper forms. That includes those applying for a civil union, change of relationship or if a person is aged 16 or 17. Some customers may simply want to apply the old-fashioned way.
Registrars will remain in all of current locations to take paper based statutory declarations but over the next few months the level of services at most locations will start reducing as more and more customers transact with us online.
Minimal impact on celebrants
Celebrants will continue emailing the papers for registration after the marriage to bdmtoregister@dia.govt.nz. In the future the papers may be able to be uploaded online directly to BDM.
With fewer registry offices, the interviewing of prospective celebrants may be done centrally by BDM using technology, for instance, using Skype.
Celebrants should encourage couples to apply online as this is the easiest, fastest and safest way for the couple.
Registry offices locations
With more customers transacting with us online, there will as a result be a reduction in couples needing face-to-face services from BDM or courthouses. The processing of marriage licences will in future be centralized and there will be fewer registry office locations across NZ. Full registry office services will remain in Auckland, Manukau, Wellington and Christchurch.
Registry office type ceremonies
An alternative service to meet the future demand for registry weddings is currently being considered. Usually about 1 in 4 couples want to have a registry office ceremony. BDM is working closely with the Celebrants Association of New Zealand (CANZ) to create a pool of specially selected celebrants that can provide registry ceremonies. The celebrants will need to be VCANZ, or in other words verified CANZ members that have been acknowledged for their ongoing professional development.
The registry ceremony would be modelled on the current service. The no frills vows, arrangements and fee would be the same. The fee for a registry ceremony is regulated by Cabinet and not easily changed. It is $90.00. Celebrants doing registry ceremonies would not be able to charge additional fees for extras and would need to arrange a venue with the couple, which may be the couples home, the celebrant’s home or some other venue.
These changes are likely to occur in June 2019.
Ordering certificates online
In June we released a new online service at https://certificates.services.govt.nz to make it easier for people to order non-historic New Zealand birth certificates online, via the govt.nz website. In August, we added new features to allow customer to order marriage certificates online as well as birth and marriage certificates for different people at the same time.
This service has removed the need for a RealMe verified identity, meaning that all customers, including people from overseas, can more easily order birth and marriage certificates online. We’ve seen fantastic feedback and uptake to date.
Later this year, it is expected that death certificates will also be made available for people to order via this service.
Court consent for 16 and 17 year olds to marry
In August, legislation was passed requiring the consent of a Family Court Judge before a 16 or 17 year old can marry.
In the past, 16 and 17 year olds who wished to marry needed parental consent, and this happened around 30 times a year, mostly involving females. The new legislation aims to prevent possible forced marriages, where pressure or abuse is used to coerce someone into a marriage against their will.
For more information refer to https://www.justice.govt.nz/family/get-consent-to-marry-if-you-are-16-or-17/
