Marriage Act 1955

  • This version was replaced on 15 May 2020 to make a correction to Schedule 1 under section 25(1)(j)(iii) of the Legislation Act 2012.

Part 1 Preliminary

2 Interpretation

(1)

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

Commonwealth country includes a territory for whose international relations the Government of a Commonwealth country is responsible

marriage means the union of 2 people, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity

marriage celebrant means a person authorised to act as a marriage celebrant under this Act

Minister means the Minister of the Crown who, under the authority of any warrant or with the authority of the Prime Minister, is for the time being responsible for the administration of this Act

New Zealand representative means a person who is for the time being a head of mission or head of post (within the meaning of section 2 of the Foreign Affairs Act 1988) or a person assigned or reassigned to service overseas under section 6 of that Act

service marriage means a marriage solemnised outside New Zealand at a time when the person who solemnised it, and at least one party to it, is a member of a naval, military, or air force raised in New Zealand, and the person who solemnised it—

(a)

is both a chaplain and a marriage celebrant; or

(b)

in the case only of a marriage solemnised before 1 September 1995, is a person duly authorised to solemnise it.

(2)

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms Registrar-General, Deputy Registrar-General, and Registrar have the meanings assigned to them by section 2 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995.

Section 2: replaced, on 1 September 1995, by section 92 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995 (1995 No 16).

Section 2(1) marriage: inserted, on 19 August 2013, by section 5 of the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 (2013 No 20).

Section 2(1) Minister: inserted, on 1 October 1995, by section 10(3) of the Department of Justice (Restructuring) Act 1995 (1995 No 39).

Section 2(1) minor: repealed, on 14 August 2018, by section 4 of the Minors (Court Consent to Relationships) Legislation Act 2018 (2018 No 22).

Section 2(1) service marriage paragraph (b): amended, on 24 January 2009, by section 47 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 48).

Section 2(2): amended, on 24 January 2009, by section 47 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 48).