That’s a wrap! Seven workshops, 650-plus attendees and plenty for the kete.
What do AI, funeral ceremonies and Rainbow inclusivity have in common? They all featured in our 2026 Celebrants Aotearoa National Education Programme, alongside a whole lot of learning, fresh thinking and practical ideas for celebrancy.
With our final session complete, we’re celebrating seven workshops and more than 650 attendances across the programme. The best part? Every session was free for members.
A full programme for a varied role
Being a celebrant calls for a wonderfully wide range of skills. This year’s programme reflected that, with workshops exploring funerals, marketing, AI, cultural appropriateness, ceremony storytelling, the practicalities and realities of celebrancy, and Rainbow inclusivity.
Together, the sessions covered all the Professional Competencies required for VCANZ, giving members opportunities to build their knowledge, reflect on their practice and add something useful to their celebrancy kete.
Whether you joined us for one workshop or settled in for all seven, thank you for making time to learn alongside your fellow celebrants.
Missed a session? You haven’t missed out
Busy diary? Ceremony clash? Simply keen to hear something again?
Recordings are available, or will be added shortly, on our website, or by clicking here. You’ll need to log in to access them.
Watch at your own pace, revisit a topic that sparked your interest or catch up on the session you couldn’t attend. Tea, comfy chair and notebook optional, but encouraged.
A round of applause, please
A huge thank you to our presenters, many of whom are CANZ members themselves, for generously sharing their knowledge, experience and ideas.
And to our wonderful Celebrants Aotearoa Support team: thank you for all the work behind the scenes that brought this programme to life. There’s plenty of organising behind every opportunity to log in and learn, and we’re grateful for it.
Help shape what comes next
Planning is already under way for 2027, and we’re working towards another programme covering all the Professional Competencies for VCANZ.
We expect to begin in March or April, as the busiest stretch of wedding season eases and there’s a little more room in the diary to step back, recharge and explore new ideas.
What would you love to learn? Is there a topic you’d like us to revisit, a practical challenge you’d welcome help with or something we haven’t covered yet?
Email Support, support@supportcelebrantsassociation.co.nz , with your feedback on this year’s programme and your ideas for the next one. We’d love to hear from you.
Until then, thank you for being part of a year of shared learning. Here’s to putting those ideas into practice!
