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Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua

Te Kawa Rēhita o Ngā Oati Mārena
Registry Ceremony Marriage Vows

To apply for a marriage licence go to https://marriages.services.govt.nz 

Criteria for registry marriages and civil unions

The criteria for registry marriages and civil unions is available in https://www.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Family-and-whanau/How-to-recognise-a-Registry-Wedding-A-Guide-for-Couples-R.pdf. 
If your requirements are outside the criteria of a registry ceremony, you will need to discuss having a personalised ceremony with your celebrant.

Te reo Māori or English 

There are Māori and English versions of the registry marriage vows. If you would like to use the Māori version, you will need to discuss that with your celebrant when booking the ceremony. 
The couple will need to provide an interpreter, if the celebrant, couple and/or witnesses do not all understand the same language. 
Before the ceremony starts, the interpreter should sign the https://www.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Family-and-whanau/7684Declaration-interpret-or-translate-marriage-or-civil-union-BDM35T.pdf. 
The form also needs to be signed by your 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 reo Māori version starts here.

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 <Tangata 1> rāua ko <Tangata 2>. Tēnā koutou i tae mai ki te tautoko i tā rāua rā.

Ko <ingoa o te Tohunga Mārena> au, ā, nā te Kāwanatanga o Aotearoa ahau i whakamana ki te whakahaere i tēnei mārena hei tohunga mārena rēhita. 

<<Me kōrero mō ngā māharahara hauora me te haumaru i konei mēnā e hiahiatia ana>>

[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 

<Ingoa o te Tangata 1> me <ingoa o te Tangata 2>

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, <ingoa o te Tangata 1>, tēnā whakahua i muri i ahau

Tangata 1
E whakauru herekore ana ahau, a <ingoa tūturu whānui o te Tangata 1> ki tēnei mārena, ā, ka tango i a koe <ingoa tūturu whānui o te Tangata 2> hei wahine/tāne/hoa mārena māku.

Nā, ki a <ingoa o te Tangata 2>, ināianei, 

Tangata 2
E whakauru herekore ana ahau, a <ingoa tūturu whānui o te Tangata 2> ki tēnei mārena, ā, ka tango i a koe <ingoa tūturu whānui o te Tangata 1> 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 

<Tangata 1> me <Tangata 2>, 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)

<Tangata 1> me <Tangata 2>. E whakaū ana tēnei tuhinga i tō mārenatanga – Ngā manaakitanga ki a kōrua.

English version starts here.

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 <Party 1> and <Party 2>. Thank you for sharing this important day with them.

My name is <Celebrant’s name> and I am authorised by the Government of Aotearoa New Zealand to conduct this ceremony as a registered marriage celebrant. 

<<Note any health and safety concerns here if necessary>>

<Party 1> and <Party 2>, 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  

<Party 1 First name> and <Party 2 First name>

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 First name>

Party 1
I, <Party 1 full legal name> am freely entering into this marriage and take you <Party 2 full legal name> to be my legal wife/husband/partner.
Now <Party 2 First name>, 
 
Party 2
I, <Party 1 full legal name> am freely entering into this marriage and take you <Party 2 full legal name> 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  

<Party 1> and <Party 2>, 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)

<Party 1> and <Party 2>. This document is confirmation of your marriage – Go well.

Version 2 May 2024