Frequently asked questions
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CUCA stands for Civil Union Celebrant's Association.
This Association is exclusively for those individuals who have been licensed by the Registrar General as Civil Union Celebrants and whose names appear in the List of Civil Union Celebrants in the New Zealand Gazette. These people have the authority to solemnise civil unions in New Zealand.
If you are a Civil Union Celebrant that has been appointed by the Registrar General as a Civil Union Celebrant you are able to join this Association.
You join by contacting through this web page the Association and paying an annual membership fee.
For an additional yearly fee you can also list yourself as a Celebrant on this web page and offer your services to people seeking a Civil Union Celebrant.
To obtain a licence you are required to pay $120 to the Birth, Deaths and Marriages Office.
You should have agreed with your Celebrant on the fee they expect you to pay for their service. You may also be asked to pay travelling and accommodation expenses if your ceremony location requires travelling.
YES, you have complete freedom of choice as to where your Civil Union Ceremony will be conducted. Please be sure to check in with your Celebrant to ensure they are comfortable with your choice as not every Celebrant will want to go in helicopters, boats of tops of mountains.
YOUR legal requirement is that your civil union will be solemnised at one of the places stated on the Civil Union Licence, and before the licence expires. Please note it is only valid for three months.
When you have secured your Celebrant and visit with them they will provide you with the form you require to submit to the Births, Deaths and Marriages office.
You will then complete the form and be guided by your Celebrant on when to submit the form, how much to pay and what happens when you collect the form.
All Celebrants will ask you to get the licence and other documents to them at least a week prior to your Ceremony. It is then the Celebrant's responsibility to bring the paper work to your ceremony.
Your ceremony must be solemnised in the presence of either a Civil Union Celebrant or a Registrar of Civil Unions.
You must also have two witnesses able to understand what occurs at the ceremony (ie they should be of sound mind, and should not be intoxicated).
Children can be witnesses, but they must be old enough to understand the nature of the ceremony, and must be able to demonstrate that understanding in court if later required to do so.
The Civil Union Act 2004 does not stipulate a minimum age for witnesses.
Yes you can!
Your ceremony can be as unique as you are.
You can include whatever you wish and your Celebrant should respect your wishes.
The only legal requirement for the ceremony content is "Each party must make a clear statement to the other than names both parties and acknowledges that they are freely joining in a civil union with each other".