Newsletter for celebrants: 21 April 2023

Consent

This repeats the article in December 2019's newsletter about consent and the prevention of forced marriages.

Absence of consent

A marriage or civil union may be void ab initio if by reason of duress, mistake, insanity, or for any other reason, if there was at the time an absence of consent by either party.

Celebrants are not obliged to marry a couple if for instance, in their professional judgement, a party to the marriage or civil union is showing signs that they do not voluntarily consent to the ceremony.

Court consent for 16 and 17 year olds to marry

In August 2018, legislation was passed requiring the consent of a Family Court Judge before a 16 or 17 year old can marry. In the past they needed parental consent and happened around 30 times a year, mostly involving females. For more information refer to www.justice.govt.nz/family/get-consent-to-marry-if-you-are-16-or-17/

Coerced marriage or civil union

The 2018 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 section 207A of the Crimes Act 1961.

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.

Learning and ongoing professional development

You are encouraged to take advantage of the support, learning opportunities and ongoing professional development offered by:

The primary focus of members of Celebrants Aotearoa is the creation and delivery of meaningful rituals and ceremonies. We work closely with all we serve to respond to their needs and values.

 As a professional organisation, Celebrants Aotearoa strongly encourages all members to undertake celebrant specific training and endorses the two celebrant training providers. 

We promote members as the preferred choice of celebrant, enriching Aotearoa New Zealand through the delivery of quality, bespoke personalised ceremonies.

• Web:  www.celebrantsaotearoa.co.nz
• Email:  support@celebrantsaotearoa.co.nz

Training and on-going development are important for any professional, and you can be assured of high-quality, relevant learning when you study with The Celebrant School. Their lecturers are all well-qualified, experienced celebrants and the school has a proud tradition of service to the celebrancy profession. Their Certificate in Celebrant Studies was established over 25 years ago, and its whakapapa is grounded in the cultural and social context of Aotearoa-New Zealand, thoroughly preparing you to meet the diverse needs in your community.

• Web:  www.celebrant.school.nz
• Email:  info@celebrant.school.nz
• Ph:  021 681 958

We provide training for celebrants which is focused, contemporary and relevant to New Zealand today. Many of our students are just beginning their celebrant careers, others are already experienced celebrants who want to develop, or extend, their skills and knowledge. We offer first class, inspiring, best practice training. All our trainers are experienced celebrants and wonderful teachers with a wide range of skills in celebrancy and business and can offer you the very best in training.

• Web:  www.celebranttraining.co.nz
• Email:  training@celebranttraining.co.nz
• Ph:  021 0278 9696

You are invited to the 
Celebrants Aotearoa Conference

Celebrants Aotearoa would like to extend a warm invitation to their conference in June (23rd to 25th), to all celebrants across New Zealand.

This is our first face-to-face conference in three years and we would love to have as many celebrants as possible join in with us.

We have a full programme of fabulous speakers, including a number of workshops, with something for everyone and much to be learned. Early-bird ticket prices have just been extended to May 30th, but you can purchase tickets up to mid-June.

The link to the full conference programme with speaker bio’s and workshops is at https://fdanz.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a57adb16859c8af84dbe6ff64&id=242fd1c2dc&e=14caf7f8af