Civil unions after two years

At the end of the second year of Civil Unions, Registrar-General, Brian Clarke, says there have been nearly 900 civil unions performed in New Zealand. Civil Unions were first introduced on 26 April 2005.

Statistics New Zealand will have an analysis of marriage, civil union and divorce statistics available on 3 May 2007 at this web address: http://www.stats.govt.nz/

Mr Clarke says arranging a civil union or marriage has been helped by ease of access to the Department’s website, where couples can search for a marriage or civil union celebrant in the area where they want to get married.

“We’ve been pleased with the number of people using our website – the feedback has been very positive.”

The web address to find a celebrant is http://www.bdm.govt.nz - look in the Civil Union or Marriage sections. You can also get information by phoning call free, 0800 22 52 52.

Media Contacts
Tony Wallace +64 4 382 3437 or
Marguerite Fahy +64 4 382 3700
Identity Services - Te Ratonga Tuakiri
The Department of Internal Affairs - Te Tari Taiwhenua
Wellington