Pursuant to section 88(1)(b) of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995, His Excellency the Governor-General, acting on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council, makes the following regulations.

1 Title

2 Commencement

3 Principal regulations

4 Regulation 5 amended (Information relating to solemnisation of marriage)

5 Regulation 6A amended (Notification of death for registration)

6 Regulation 8 amended (Marriage certificates)

Regulations

1 Title

These regulations are the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Prescribed Information) Amendment Regulations 2013.

2 Commencement

These regulations come into force on 16 August 2013.

3 Principal regulations

These regulations amend the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1995 (the principal regulations).

4 Regulation 5 amended (Information relating to solemnisation of marriage)

(1) In regulation 5(a), replace “the bride and bridegroom” with “parties to the marriage (whether bride, bridegroom, or partner)”.
(2) After regulation 5(a)(iii), insert:
- “(iiia) sex:”.
(3) In regulation 5(b), replace “bride and bridegroom” with “parties (whether bride, bridegroom, or partner)”.

5 Regulation 6A amended (Notification of death for registration)

In regulation 6A(e), replace “the mother and father” with “the parents”.

6 Regulation 8 amended (Marriage certificates)

(1) In regulation 8(a), replace “the bride and bridegroom” with “parties to the marriage (whether bride, bridegroom, or partner)”.

(2) In regulation 8(b), replace “bride and bridegroom” with “parties (whether bride, bridegroom, or partner)”.
(3) After regulation 8(b), insert:
- “(ba) in relation to a marriage in respect of which the sex of the parties to the marriage was recorded, the sex of each party:”.

Rebecca Kitteridge,
Clerk of the Executive Council.

Explanatory note

This note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general effect.

These regulations, which come into force on 16 August 2013, amend the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1995 (the principal regulations). The regulations make amendments to reflect the fact that, when the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act 2013 comes into force, same-sex marriages will be possible. The amendments—

allow for the possibility that either party to a marriage may be referred to as a bride, bridegroom, or partner; and
provide for the collection of information about the sex of each party to a marriage.

The regulations also amend the principal regulations to allow for the possibility that a deceased person will have parents of the same sex.

Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.

Date of notification in Gazette: 11 July 2013.

These regulations are administered by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Prescribed Information) Amendment Regulations 2013