More marriages in New Zealand but rate still falling

The rate of marriage in New Zealand has fallen, despite an increasing number of people getting married, according to new research.

Figures released by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) show that there were 900 more weddings in 2006 than there were in 2005, with 21,500 people getting married in 2006 compared to 20,500 in 2005.

However, the overall marriage rate has fallen in the ten years from 1996 to 2006, from 16.5 marriages per 1,000 unmarried adults in 1996 to 13.5 marriages per 1,000 unmarried adults in 2006. There were also 397 civil unions in 2006, of which 319 were between same-sex couples.

This latest marriage rate for the Antipodean country is less than a third of the peak level recorded in 1971 of 45.5 marriages per 1,000 unmarried adults.

Moreover, the SNZ figures also show that there were 10,100 divorces in 2006, with approximately one-third of couples who wed in 1981 divorcing before they reached 25 years of marriage.