By Kineta Knight Booker
It was excellent to hear Celebrants Aotearoa President Anna Flanagan on RNZ’s The Panel recently, helping listeners separate marriage fact from fiction.
Anna joined host Wallace Chapman and panellists Verity Johnson and David Downs on 18 August after RNZ posed a question that continues to cause confusion: true or false, can you legally get married over a video call?
Anna’s answer was unequivocal: “Absolutely not.”
Under current New Zealand law, a marriage ceremony cannot take place virtually. The couple, celebrant and two witnesses must all be physically present in the same place.
The interview followed the release of Celebrants Aotearoa’s national media statement, What celebrants wish every Kiwi knew about marriage law, which addressed some of the most common misunderstandings celebrants encounter.
Alongside virtual weddings, Anna discussed the importance of applying for a marriage licence well before the ceremony. Couples can apply online up to three months before their wedding and should allow sufficient time for the licence to be issued.
She also shared one of the more surprising facts about marriage ceremonies: witnesses do not have to be adults.
There is no set minimum age for a witness, provided the person understands what is happening, can identify the couple and understands that both people are consenting to the marriage. This means a couple’s children may be able to witness their marriage, creating a particularly special family moment.
The conversation also highlighted the creativity and personality a professional celebrant can bring to a ceremony. Anna spoke about some of the themed weddings she had led, including steampunk and Harry Potter-inspired celebrations.
While the legal requirements cannot be removed, they do not need to dominate the ceremony.
“You can’t personalise the law out of it. But you can personalise almost everything else,” Anna told The Panel.
She explained that one of the skills of a great celebrant was making the legal part of getting married feel almost invisible while creating a ceremony that genuinely reflected the couple.
Anna’s appearance was a wonderful opportunity to share accurate information with a national audience while showcasing the knowledge, professionalism and creativity celebrants bring to their work.
It was also a timely reminder that while couples have enormous freedom to create a wedding that feels completely their own, the legal foundations still matter.
If you missed the interview, you can listen to Anna on RNZ’s The Panel here.
For further information about the legal requirements for personalised wedding ceremonies, visit the New Zealand Government website.
