Bride in Philippines, groom in Wellington
Neither a pandemic nor border closures – and not even an ocean – could stop John Maurice from marrying the woman he loves.
This week, surrounded by wha¯nau, he kneeled in front of a camera in his Wellington flat and exchanged vows with Daisy Cainglet, who was more than 8000 kilometres away in a hotel in the Philippines with about 50 family members and friends.
The ceremony, officiated in the US state of Utah, marked one year to the day since the couple met online. It was necessitated by Covid-19 and made possible using an online video link between the three countries. Guests in the United Kingdom, Dubai and Australia logged on to watch.
But their wedding, legally, counts for little in New Zealand.
The anxiety was palpable in Maurice’s living room as he battled technical glitches when setting up the video connection. But when he saw his bride walk down the aisle, the mood shifted to excitement.
Maurice’s daughter Renee Maurice, who won the third series of reality television show New Zealand’s Got Talent in 2013, was supposed to sing via video link from Auckland, where she lives. She flew to Wellington instead to surprise her dad on his big day and serenaded them from his home.
Relatives wiped tears from their eyes as the happy couple pledged to love each other as long as they lived.
After the ceremony, Cainglet, 40, and Maurice, 63, each hosted reception celebrations for their guests.
Crayfish, chocolates and a cake decorated with flowers in his wife’s favourite colour, purple, were on Maurice’s dining table.
The pair were introduced by a friend of Maurice’s late brother through Facebook video chat on January 7, 2020. Maurice was on a plane to the Philippines a month later. ‘‘I knew I wasn’t going to get back there any time soon as Covid was already on the move, so I took a ring and proposed to her, which she accepted,’’ he said.
But since returning home two weeks later, he had not seen his fiancee – now wife – in person and attempts to get her in to New Zealand had failed.
Maurice, a train controller for KiwiRail, will qualify for superannuation next year and will most likely then move to the Philippines if his wife is still not able to get into New Zealand. Once reunited, they intend to reaffirm their vows in a church ceremony.
The Utah company that married the couple said on its website that it performed legal marriages. But it advised non-Americans who wanted to use the marriage licence outside the United States to also make sure to have it authenticated by the US Government. Maurice planned to do that.
New Zealand Registrar-General Jeff Montgomery said only marriages conducted in person, in New Zealand, were formally recorded.
If overseas-married couples wanted their union recorded in New Zealand then a New Zealand representative, such as an ambassador, must attend and return a form. The couple must be present, Montgomery said.
An Immigration New Zealand (INZ) spokesman said the bar for allowing migrants in was set high to ensure the health of New Zealanders during the pandemic.
‘‘While INZ is empathetic to Ms Cainglet and her partner’s situation, INZ has no ability to apply discretion when considering requests for border exceptions. Border restrictions currently apply to travellers from all countries,’’ the spokesman said.
The department confirmed it had declined three expressions of interest from Cainglet because it was not satisfied she met the criteria for an exemption. She had never applied for a visa based on their relationship, the spokesman said.
Marriage alone was insufficient grounds for entry and INZ needed to be satisfied the relationship was ‘‘credible, genuine and stable, and likely to endure’’. They also had to supply evidence and reasons for any significant periods living apart, he said.