Marriage celebrants rejected

Forty-seven marriage celebrant applications have been rejected in the past 21⁄2-years because they were unwilling to officiate at same-sex weddings.

The Department of Internal Affairs confirmed last month – after a request from Family First New Zealand under the Official Information Act – that it had declined 47 independent celebrant applications based on their intention not to solemnise same-sex marriages since September 7, 2015.

Applications made before September 2015 were made in paper format and could not be reviewed without significant research.

The department said it had not received any complaints about marriage celebrants who were unwilling to solemnise a same-sex marriage.

But it added that independent marriage celebrants ‘‘must make themselves available to all persons legally to marry in New Zealand and cannot refuse to solemnise any marriage due to reasons that would contravene the Human Rights Act 1993’’.

Family First New Zealand national director Bob McCoskrie said the rejected applications contradicted assurances made by Labour MP Louisa Wall when she introduced the Definition of Marriage Amendment Bill to Parliament in 2012.

She said: ‘‘What my bill does not do is require any person or church to carry out a marriage if

‘‘It is not the state’s role to sanction heterosexuality or homosexuality.’’ Labour MP Louisa Wall

it does not fit with the beliefs of the celebrant or the religious interpretation a church has’’.

But she added that, while churches could discriminate, the state could not and should not. ‘‘It is not the state’s role to sanction heterosexuality or homosexuality.’’

Wall said in an email yesterday that organisational celebrants were authorised through a separate process to independent celebrants and could refuse to solemnise marriages.

She directed Stuff to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages for comment on why the 47 applications were rejected.

Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages Jeff Montgomery said it was important to distinguish between organised and independent celebrants.

Organised celebrants were nominated by organisations, and those organisations needed to be recognised by Montgomery as ‘‘a formal organisation with marriage purposes’’, he said.

‘‘Once registered, they can then nominate people to be celebrants for their organisation,’’ he said.

‘‘Independent celebrants, however, are providing a public service, and they are acting on behalf of the Government.’’ .