Newsletter for celebrants: 25 August 2023

2024 celebrant renewal

Renewal is fast approaching for celebrants. Now is a good time to prepare for the upcoming renewal.

Independent celebrants: Opens Friday 29 September and closes at midnight Sunday 29 October.

If you do not apply for renewal between those dates, you will be removed as a celebrant and will not be able to marry couples in 2024. If you later decide to be a celebrant, you must make a fresh application, pay the full application fee and provide new documents.

Independent Celebrant Renewal

All independent celebrant renewals are required to be completed online using your verified RealMe Identity. All independent celebrants should now have a verified RealMe Identity ready to use for the 2024 renewal.

RealMe

If you have not already verified your identity or wish to confirm your login details are still correct visit www.realme.govt.nz. 

If you need to apply for a verified identity please start now as once you have taken your application number (and if required, other documents for scanning) to a participating photo store, you'll need to allow 5 weeks for Internal Affairs to confirm if your identity is verified. Follow the instructions at www.realme.govt.nz/how-apply/

Keep your contact details up to date

Make sure your contact details are up to date by logging in to the self-service portal at www.govt.nz/organisations/births-deaths-and-marriages/information-for-marriage-celebrants/update-your-celebrant-registration-details/

Not used the portal before

If you have not used the portal before, email celebrants@dia.govt.nz with your name and celebrant number to obtain your personalised link.

Fees

The fee can be paid online via credit, debit or Prezzy card when completing the renewal. This fee is for application only and is non-refundable should your renewal be declined.

If the renewal application is not completed before the official close date, you will be removed from the list of celebrants. To become a celebrant again you will need to complete a new celebrant application and pay the full fee of $220 (Independent). If you want to retain your licence for another year complete the application before the close of the renewal.

Further Information

• The independent celebrant renewal will open on Friday 29 September and closes at midnight Sunday 29 October.
•  All independent celebrants are required to complete the renewal online using a verified RealMe Identity.
• Independent celebrants will be required to pay $60 when submitting their renewal application online.
• A link to the renewal will be sent to you via email as soon as the renewal opens.
• You may continue taking bookings and performing weddings throughout the renewal process.
• We will send you an email advising that the renewal has closed.
• Before Thursday 21 December, we plan to notify the celebrants that have been approved or removed. 

Any questions relating to the 2024 renewal should be sent to celebrants@dia.govt.nz as soon as possible to ensure an easy renewal process.

Double-check your details on the self-service portal 

Make certain you check your details on the self-service portal at https://celebrants.dia.govt.nz/independent_celebrant_self_service.

In particular check:

• your email address is correct so you get our email when the renewal opens
• if you are a current financial member of Celebrants Aotearoa
• if you are a validated member of Celebrants Aotearoa through participation in their specific professional development framework. This is an optional reflective process available to all CANZ members. The ‘VCANZ" acronym ("V" meaning Validated) can only be used if you've completed a successful application
• if you have completed a Certificate in Celebrant Studies or Diploma in Celebrant Studies at The Celebrant School (TCS)
• if you have completed a Certificate in Marriage Celebrancy or Diploma in Celebrancy at the Celebrant Training College (CTC), and 
• there can be a variety of spellings for towns and cities so check to make sure yours is spelt correctly. For example: Whangaparaoa, Whangapāraoa or  Whangaparāoa - the last one is the correct spelling with the macron over the fourth a.

Through the celebrants self-service portal you can also ask us to publish on https://celebrants.dia.govt.nz: 

• your contact details
• your celebrant related website
• your photo
• up to three celebrant related qualifications or competencies e.g. if you can korero in te reo Māori
• your Māori iwi.

The must haves – celebrants and ceremonies

The approved celebrant must take an active role by officiating over the legal aspects of the ceremony.

The celebrant must formally identify the couple, ensuring that the people standing in front of them at the wedding are the same people named on the marriage licence.

The marriage ceremony must be in Aotearoa, which includes the Ross Dependency and up to our territorial boundary.

The couple must say their vows in front of an approved celebrant and before at least two other witnesses.

The full names of the couple as written on the marriage licence must be used at some point during the ceremony proceedings. Abbreviations and nicknames can be 
used in other parts of the ceremony.

Couples can write their own vows as long as they say to each other “I take you [partner’s name], to be my legal [wife/husband/partner]” or something similar during the ceremony. The couple should say the words to each other rather than answering a question you ask — although the marriage or civil union is still valid if you have asked the couple a question.

After you have married the couple and the Copy of Particulars of Marriage are fully completed (date, a specific place, couples signed, witnesses signed and addresses, celebrants name and signed and registration number/denomination) email a scan or photo to bdmtoregister@dia.govt.nz. As we've previously mentioned in earlier newsletters, a new civil registration system is coming in 2024 that will change the way you notify us of this - we will provide more detail on how this change affects you later in the year.

Retain the Copy of Particulars of Marriage for 4 weeks in case the photo or scan needs to be redone. After four weeks the Copy of Particulars must be destroyed and the email deleted.

Cannot use Zoom/Skype to marry a couple

Under the Marriage Act, a marriage can’t occur virtually i.e. you cannot use video conferencing software like Zoom, Skype etc. The couple, celebrant and two witnesses must be physically present in the same place - these five people must be physically present, in-person, at the geographical place when the couple say their vows to each other.