A record low 20,900 marriages took place In New Zealand last year, less than one-third of the number in 1971 and one half of the 1987 rate. In 2010 the marriage rate was 12.5 per 1000 unmarried adults. 273 resident civil unions were registered, of which 73 per cent were same-sex.
Catholic Centre family life adviser Sue Devereux said marriage was still popular in her church community, but many were already living together when they decided to get married.
“People are not getting married at such a young age any more and there is no societal pressure to get married before having children.”
Celebrant Ruth Pink said marriage as a religious institution did not seem as important to her clients as it used to be, and many simply wanted to make a public declaration to family and friends.
Statistics NZ says there were 10.2 divorces for every 1000 marriages in 2010, the same as in 2009, the lowest rate since 1980. Just over 35 per cent of those who married in 1971 had divorced by last year.
The most common length of marriage at divorce was between five and nine years.
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