Ngātahi
28 August 2026
Russell Burnard,
General Manager and Registrar-General
Message from the
Registrar-General
Kia ora koutou
The annual renewal starts today for those that have been a celebrant for more than 6 months. Look out for your invitation email today to apply to renew.
This year, we will begin referring to renewals by the year they occur. This replaces the previous approach of naming them after the period applicants are renewed for.
This change keeps our language simple and makes it easier to understand when a renewal takes place.
Noho ora mai rā,
Russell
2026 celebrant renewal starts today
The renewal starts today and closes at midnight on Monday 28 September 2026.
You will be sent an email today to renew. If you do not receive your renewal email by the end of today, email Celebrants@dia.govt.nz.
You may continue taking bookings and performing weddings throughout the renewal process.
If you have performed zero or one marriage or civil union during the last 12 months, you will be asked to give reasons why you should be renewed for a further year. Activity levels from April 2023 will also be assessed. Historically low demand from the public or a particular community may indicate a celebrant's services are no longer required. Low activity levels also present a risk to a celebrant's ability to maintain relevant skills, competence and performance.
You’ll be notified of your approval or removal before 13 November 2026.
If you decide not to apply for renewal, let us know you are opting-out by emailing celebrants@dia.govt.nz.
New celebrants approved after 1 April 2026, do not need to apply for renewal this time, but will from next year onwards.
Questions relating to the annual renewal should be sent to celebrants@dia.govt.nz.
Late applications will not be accepted. If you do not apply for renewal between 28 August and 28 September 2026, you will be removed as a celebrant and will not be able to marry couples once the new list of celebrants is published in the NZ Gazette on 13 November 2026. If you later decide to be a celebrant, you must make a fresh application, pay the full application fee and provide new documents.
RealMe
You must complete the renewal online using your RealMe verified identity.
Visit www.realme.govt.nz to confirm your login details are still correct.
If you need to apply for a RealMe verified identity, do it now. Once you have taken your application number (and other documents for scanning, if required) to a participating photo store, you'll need to allow about 10 working days for us to confirm if your identity is verified. Follow the instructions at www.realme.govt.nz/how-apply/ .
Fee
You will be required to pay $63 when submitting your renewal application online.
This fee can be paid online via credit, debit or Prezzy card. The fee is for the application only and is non-refundable should your renewal be declined.
Keep your contact details up to date
Make sure your contact details are up to date by logging in to the self-service portal so you get our email when the renewal opens.
If you are using the self-service portal for the first time, get set up by emailing your name and celebrant number to celebrants@dia.govt.nz .
The Celebrant School - Te Wānanga Korowai Aroha is a small Kiwi business with a 30-year track record of inspiring the celebrants of Aotearoa-New Zealand with training and professional development opportunities, networking, and support services. For more information on what’s available visit www.celebrant.school.nz or phone 021 681 958.
The Celebrants Training College offers a variety of training and professional development, for new or experienced celebrants throughout New Zealand. More information is available by ringing our office on 021 027 896 96 or at www.celebranttraining.co.nz .
