*** Transcriber's Note: Please set your voice synthesiser to read most punctuation. *** Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua Te Kawa Rēhita o Ngā Oati Mārena Registry Ceremony Marriage Vows To apply for a registry marriage ceremony go to marriages.services.govt.nz • Registry ceremonies are standardised to meet the legal requirements for getting married. The vows are also standardised. • You cannot book your ceremony more than 3 months in advance. You need to allow at least 3 working days for your marriage licence to be processed. • You should contact the registry celebrant at least 1- 2 weeks in advance to discuss your intended date of marriage and preferred location. • The location for your marriage must be within 10km of the registry celebrant of your choice. • Registry ceremonies need be held at a venue agreed to with your celebrant. You are responsible for arranging and paying for the location. A registry ceremony cannot be held in a wedding or function centre, hotel or restaurant. Examples of acceptable venues are your home or a public council venue. • There is a set fee for a registry ceremony. You must pay it in advance to your celebrant. Registry celebrants are not permitted to charge you for travel or additional costs. • Registry ceremonies must be held between 8.30 AM and 5.00 PM on a weekday, excluding public holidays and the Christmas/New Year holiday period. • You can have a maximum number of 10 guests at a registry ceremony. • You cannot involve other parties other than the celebrant in a registry ceremony. This includes wedding planners, MCs, professional photographer, videographer, bridesmaids, or a best man. • Registry ceremonies take less than 20 minutes in total from the time booked for the ceremony. This includes saying the vows and signing the papers. • You are expected to arrive on time. If you arrive late, you may need to rebook another time. The celebrant may retain their fee if you are more than 15 minutes late. • The celebrant can keep the fee if you cancel within 48 hours of your ceremony. Personalised ceremonies If a registry ceremony does not meet your requirements, a personalised marriage ceremony may suit your needs better. An independent celebrant will work with you to deliver the ceremony you want, personalising it to your needs, culture and style. You can have a personalised ceremony at a location of your choice. It can be held on any day of the week, including weekends and public holidays. It can be held at any time of day you wish. Celebrant fees and levels of service vary for personalised ceremonies. It’s important to discuss these prior to engaging your celebrant. Te reo Māori or English There are te reo Māori and English versions of the registry marriage ceremony vows. If you would like to use the Māori version, you will need to discuss that with the celebrant when booking the ceremony. If the celebrant agrees, you will need to provide an interpreter if the celebrant, couple and/or the witnesses do not all understand the same language. Before the ceremony starts, the interpreter should sign the “Declaration to translate a marriage or civil union ceremony”. This can be downloaded from govt.nz/registryceremonies. The form needs to be signed by the celebrant. Note for the celebrant: The full legal names of the parties must be spoken at least once during the ceremony. First, informal, or full names can be used elsewhere in the ceremony. Te Kawa Rēhita o Ngā Oati Mārena Tohunga Mārena Tēnā koutou katoa. Good morning/afternoon. Nōku te hōnore ki te whakatau i a koutou ki te whakanui i tēnei mārena i waenga i a rāua ko . Tēnā koutou i tae mai ki te tautoko i tā rāua rā. Ko au, ā, nā te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa ahau i whakamana ki te whakahaere i tēnei mārena hei tohunga mārena rēhita. <> [Tangata 1], kōrua ko [Tangata 2], e mārena nei kōrua, e tino paihere ana kōrua kia ngātahi tā kōrua whai i tō kōrua ao hei hoa mārena ... e kī oati ana kia tautoko, kia whakamanawa kōrua i a kōrua anō mō te katoa o ō kōrua rā. Engari, kāore mā te tikanga mārena e ū ai tētahi mārenatanga; mā kōrua anake tērā; mā te tautoko, te whakapono, me te whakaaronui ki a kōrua anō; i roto i ō kōrua āhuatanga katoa. Tohunga Mārena Ngā oati me Kua tae mai tātau ki ngā oati mārena ināianei, ā, he kupu paihere ā-ture ēnei e whakaū ana i tō hiahia ki te mārena me te whakapuaki i tō paiherenga ki a kōrua anō. I raro i te ture o Aotearoa me whakapuaki e kōrua i mua i ahau, me ētahi atu tokorua i te iti rawa e whakauru herekore ana kōrua ki tēnei mārena, ā, ka whakaae koe ki a ia hei wahine mārena, tāne mārena (hoa mārena) whaimana rānei māu i raro i te ture. Ka tonoa kōrua e au ināianei ki te whakahua i tēnei tauākī i muri i ahau... Tuatahi, , tēnā whakahua i muri i ahau Tangata 1 E whakauru herekore ana ahau, a ki tēnei mārena, ā, ka tango i a koe hei wahine/tāne/hoa mārena māku. Nā, ki a , ināianei, Tangata 2 E whakauru herekore ana ahau, a ki tēnei mārena, ā, ka tango i a koe hei wahine/tāne/hoa mārena māku. Tohunga Mārena Te hoatu i ngā rīngi (the kōwhiringa tēnei. Ka whakaū tō tohunga mārena i tēnei me koe i mua i te mārenatanga me te whakahāngai i ngā kupu ). I tēnei rā kua whakatau kōrua ki te whakawhiti rīngi. He tohu te rīngi mārena i ngā oati mārena kua tukuna nei e kōrua. Kia whakamaumahara ēnei rīngi i tō kōrua paiherenga ki a kōrua anō. Tēnā whakawhitia ngā rīngi. Whakapuakanga me , he hōnore nui mōku ki te whakapuaki kua mārena kōrua i raro i te ture. Ngā mihi. Tēnā rawa atu kōrua. Te waitohu i ngā pepa (ngā BDM45s e rua) Kia tutuki ai te āhuatanga ki te ture, e tono ana ahau i ngā kaititiro whaimana e rua kia haere mai ki te waitohu i ngā pepa i te taha o te tokorua mārena hou. Te whakaatu i te kape o ngā pepa a te tokorua (BDM45A) me . E whakaū ana tēnei tuhinga i tō mārenatanga – Ngā manaakitanga ki a kōrua. Registry Ceremony Marriage Vows Celebrant Tēnā koutou katoa. Good morning/afternoon. It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this celebration of marriage between and . Thank you for sharing this important day with them. My name is and I am authorised by the Government of Aotearoa New Zealand to conduct this ceremony as a registered marriage celebrant. <> and , in marrying, you are making a sincere commitment to go forward in your lives formally united as partners … promising support and encouragement to each other throughout your lives together. However, no ceremony can create a marriage; only the two of you can do that; by supporting, trusting, and respecting each other, in all that you share together. Celebrant Vows and We come now to your marriage vows, which are the legally binding words that confirm your choice to marry and declare your commitment to each other. New Zealand law requires that each of you declares before me, and at least two other witnesses, that you are freely entering into this marriage and that you take the other person to be your legally wedded wife or husband (or marriage partner). I will ask each of you now to repeat this statement after me. First, Party 1 I, am freely entering into this marriage and take you to be my legal wife/husband/partner. Now , Party 2 I, am freely entering into this marriage and take you to be my legal wife/husband/partner. Celebrant Giving of rings (this is optional. Your celebrant will confirm this with you before the ceremony and amend the wording to suit). Today you have chosen to exchange ring/s. A wedding ring is a symbol of the marriage vows you have just made. May these rings always remind you of your commitment to each other. I now invite you to exchange ring/s. Pronouncement and , it is my great pleasure to pronounce you legally married. Congratulations. Tēnā rawa atu kōrua. Signing the paperwork (both BDM45s) To complete the legalities, I invite the two official witnesses to come forward and sign the paperwork with our newlyweds. Presentation of couple’s copy of paperwork (BDM45A) and . This document is confirmation of your marriage – Go well. Version 01 March 2023