Newsletter for celebrants: September 2019

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Although we mention February, the change happens now. As soon as you apply we will add your name to the list so couples can select you to perform their registry ceremony. That means from today until 31 January 2020, couples can select either a celebrant or the Wellington registry office. We also need VCANZ celebrants now as couples can apply up to 3 months in advance. From February only VCANZ celebrants will do registry ceremonies in Wellington.

In Wellington we need you if you can:

• Be available some weekdays (can be anytime on weekdays, but cannot be on weekends or public holidays), and
• Have access to a venue (e.g. local hall, beach, park, your home or the couples) for the ceremony; and
• Registered as a marriage and civil union celebrant, and
• A financial member of the Celebrants Association of New Zealand and have achieved VCANZ.

How it works:

1. BDM email the marriage licence and contact details of the couple to the celebrant.
2. The celebrant needs to contact the couple to confirm the venue, date and time.
3. The couple pay the celebrant $90 on the day of the ceremony. The celebrant cannot add any extra charges (e.g. for travel or the venue) or frills.
4. The ceremony follows the registry type script, and is therefore a very short event.
5. The couple provide their own witnesses.
6. After the ceremony the celebrant emails one copy of the completed marriage papers to bdmtoregister@dia.govt.nz.

To give you an idea of how many ceremonies we perform in Wellington, our office usually does about 450 registry office marriages a year.

Don't delay, validated CANZ members can apply now. Contact CANZ or Vaughan.Millar@dia.govt.nz for the application form.

Update: Celebrants performing registry ceremonies

We have a fantastic group of 72 celebrants on-board across NZ performing registry ceremonies and as you'll have read above, we're now opening up Wellington.

While Wellington is first off the block, Auckland and Christchurch will follow in time.

So far we have registered 71 registry ceremonies by celebrants since 1 July 2019, and we have another 43 coming up over the next 3 months.

We are always looking for more validated members of CANZ to cover regional NZ. For more information refer to Ngātahi | Call for applicants to do registry ceremonies  (the survey in that newsletter has since expired). When celebrants achieve validation VCANZ, the congratulatory email CANZ send has a link to the application form in it.

There are many different views about what (if anything) should be done to restrict celebrant numbers. Suggestions have included higher fees, compulsory training, or a higher minimum number of weddings a year.

We’re currently working on our plan for the review, which will cover the appointment and renewal process for celebrants, and celebrant numbers, and related areas within the Registrar-General’s current statutory powers and delegations. (It won’t cover any changes to the underlying legislation as this is a matter for Parliament). 

We value all celebrants’ input, and the team are looking forward to engaging with celebrants and other stakeholders as part of the review. We’ll be looking to get your perspective on what is going well and what could be improved.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact us via Celebrants@dia.govt.nz.

It is an offence to pretend to be a celebrant

A celebrant recently brought an issue to our attention and they explained it so well, here it virtually as it was written:

I was approached by a wedding vendor who asked for clarification regarding a situation with a celebrant. The vendor has been working with a couple who organised a family friend as their celebrant. When the couple tried to apply for a marriage licence their friend’s name did not appear on the BDM list of marriage celebrants. When they called their friend to find out why, they were encouraged to use a different person’s name - someone who is actually on BDM’s register. In my view the implication is that the family friend intended to then perform the ceremony ‘as’ the other celebrant, using said ‘other celebrant’s’ registration number with their permission, to complete the paperwork.

I understand that the bride opted to not go down that track, and chose to book a local registered celebrant to do the entire ceremony instead. I’m concerned that if the above events in fact occurred, then there is at least one registered celebrant on BDM’s list who seems willing to share their registration number and have it and their name used fraudulently.

As the celebrant mentions, under the Marriage Act 1955 it is an offence to pretend to be a marriage celebrant and solemnise a marriage. The Registrar-General has taken people to court in the past for pretending to be a celebrant, which proves how seriously this matter is treated.

We do not have the name of the person implicated above and so don't know their side of the story, but if this feedback is accurate we recommend they don't try that stunt again.