Newsletter for celebrants: Important message from Registrar-General (Update)
Read a plain text version of this newsletter
Jeff Montgomery,
General Manager and Registrar-General;
Services and Access
Message from the
Registrar-General
Tēnā koe – hello.
I’ve had a number of you contact me today with concerns about whether weddings are essential during the Level 4 lockdown, and the Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, also received questions today from media during the 1pm briefing.
Since that briefing I have issued a media advisory, and provided the same information to the Director-General.
Rare situations where marriages may take place during the lockdown
The first thing to emphasise is that the Ministry of Health guidelines prevail. They provide that gatherings and celebratory events normally associated with weddings must not take place.
That said, there are some rare situations where the guidelines and advice we have all been following could be adhered to, and a marriage solemnised during the Level 4 lockdown. I expect these circumstances to be very rare.
The obvious situation is that mentioned by Dr Bloomfield at the briefing where the celebrant is already in the same bubble with the couple and two people who could act as witnesses and the wedding takes place within the bubble.
There may also be some situations where a marriage needs to be solemnised urgently (e.g. due to the terminal illness of one of the parties, or there is urgency for religious or legal reasons.) and can occur without requiring non-essential travel or risking the integrity of the celebrant’s and couple’s respective bubbles.
In these very rare cases, my advice to you remains that you must consider carefully whether the marriage needs to take place at this time, and only go ahead if the Ministry of Health guidelines can be faithfully observed, and risks are minimised through:
- Any ceremony has the minimum of people present, the 2 parties, 2 witnesses and the celebrant
- No non-essential travel takes place,
- The celebrant nearest the couple conducts the ceremony,
- Parties maintain the integrity of their bubbles, observe the physical distancing, and handwashing requirements (and consider using PPE where necessary – e.g. if an urgent ceremony is needed in hospital where someone is terminally ill.)
- The ceremony is short as possible – i.e. each party should say to the other “I AB, take you CD, to be my legal wife or husband” (http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1955/0092/latest/DLM292325.html)
Dr Bloomfield also raised the possibility that a wedding ceremony may have been held virtually.
I have confirmed to him that, while the licensing and registration is now fully online, virtual weddings cannot occur as the Marriage Act requires the celebrant to solemnise a ceremony at a particular place, in the presence of the couple and two witnesses. Part of the reason for this is that one of the roles of the celebrant is to ensure that the marriage is not taking place under duress, and being physically present helps this to be assessed.
I appreciate this is a stressful and difficult time for all of us, including celebrants and couples who have long been looking forward to their weddings.
Kia pai tō rā (Have a good day)
Jeff
