- Across Aotearoa, wedding bells are ringing. - MAN: Kua tuhono nga whakapapa! - I do. - I feel very lucky to be a celebrant. - And making them official... - So fancy. - ...are our Maori celebrants. (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES) - Which one is it? - Ah, I nearly gave him a ring around the ears. - (ALL CHEER) - Raise your glasses for the newlywed couple! - From the vows to the rings,... - You may now kiss your bride. - ...they help couples say 'I do'. (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES) This is Aroha Nui. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2022 (UPBEAT MUSIC) Te Whanganui-a-Tara is home to this week's celebrant, Richard Tankersley. - 'I've been a wedding celebrant for close to 10 years now.' Path last time, we'll keep going with that. It worked really nicely. Thank you. I'm a wedding celebrant because I really, really enjoy bringing people together. I feel... really, um, engaged with the couple and engaged with the whanau ` the families, the friends that are there ` because we're all there for the same reason. And that's because there's a couple of people that really love each other so much that they want to be together, and they want to formalise that. And I really, really enjoy being part of that. (BOLD MUSIC) - And Akaroa is where Richard will be formalising the union of some old friends. - Emma, would you please take Adrian's hands in yours? This week, I'm privileged to be the celebrant for the marriage of Emma Rawson and Adrian Te Patu. - Richard and Adrian are former work colleagues. - We became a really effective team in mental health as we were learning the craft and, um, as Maori health workers. And it's been a` an over-30-year relationship, and it's great. - Can we just do a 15-second backup while we get that last arrival? Attendants can stay there. - It was a bit of a no-brainer that with Richard's characteristics and skill sets and humour, um, and te reo Maori and all of those things... - And met at O te Waipounamu. - ...that there wasn't anyone else. Yeah. - May I present the diamonds ring that I gave Emma for an engagement ` diamonds. - And with moves this smooth, how could Emma possibly resist Adrian's charms? - Congratulations. You won the rose. - RICHARD: There you go. - (LAUGHTER) - The first time I met Adrian, he was emceeing a conference that I went to. I think it was about 2009. And I saw this` this fulla emceeing, and I watched all the Pakeha women falling in love with him. And I thought, (CLICKS TONGUE) 'Gotta stay away from that one.' That was the first time. - Yeah, I saw Emma there and noticed her, you know, cos she had the reo, and she was articulate and pretty smart. - Their friendship blossomed from there, and eventually so did their romance. - Actually, I think it was less about what he said and what he didn't say, cos I think he's really known for being quite out there and, you know, obviously for his speaking gifts. But for me, it was the fact that around me he was quiet, and I took that as quite an honour. Mm. I just feel really... I guess the word is honoured that I get to be with someone who I share so many things that I love with. And why would you not do that? (TREMOLO GUITAR MUSIC) - Back in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Richard spends a lot of time connecting with the local community. - So I've been in Wellington now for three years. I'm not mana whenua. Te ao Maori's been really important for me for most of my life. Ever since I really got to Christchurch when I was 18 and I joined the University Maori Club, and at that point I knew that I had whakapapa to the South Island, although I'd been brought up in the North. Great colour. Comes up so nice, eh? Look at it. Beautiful. 'I've always been interested in taonga puoro.' Makes it look like a bought one. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - To be part of the ongoing narrative of the re-emergence of taonga puoro into our communities, it's just a wonderful feeling. (IDYLLIC MUSIC) - Another weekly must for Richard is attending this takatapui community group in the city. - Tena koutou katoa, kare ma. - Ai! - Ai! Mm. Tiwhanawhana is a ropu that has been in Wellington for 20 years. - Kia ora. - How's you and yourself? They have a kapa, and so every week on a Monday night, there's waiata practice. - ALL: # Awhi # te ako... - It's provided me with some other connections in Wellington within the Rainbow communities. It's a` a very embracing group. It's there for people who want to be there. - KAPA: Aue, ha! Hi! - Yeah. - That's how it goes. - Today, Richard has a Zoom planning hui, otherwise known as a 'zui'. - Kia ora Adrian Hakaraia Te Patu from Whanganui. It's Richard Kenneth Tankersley here. How are you? - He's in Wellington while Adrian and Emma are in Akaroa. - Good. Are you getting nervous yet? I've done quite a few weddings now where the couple and I have been in different cities while we've been doing the planning stages, and I know Adrian and Emma, so it was pretty easy to do this. - So, originally, we were going to get married in Italy after one of our conferences, and of course COVID changed that. - Hey, I don't want to keep you long. I just want to check in with you around the, uh... finalising the arrival of the bridal party. - I think we were kind of squeezing it all in cos we were so busy, and a couple of months before the wedding that we hadn't had some... - Mm. - ...deep conversations. Yeah. - Are we all good for that? But we did all that work, uh, on Zoom and by email and drafting and redrafting and tweaking services, um, so that people get the ceremony that they want. Well, look, if I just tidy up those instructions... - He was really patient, and he was really flexible, cos we said we were writing our own vows. - Ah, good. - And then we said to him, 'Actually, we're not writing our own vows any more.' But, you know, he went with it, and that was really cool. And that was also partly because we heard the declarations that he had created for the ceremony. - It wasn't because we were mangere. The declarations were fantastic. - No, they were so lovely and simple on their own that we just went, 'Well, actually, we couldn't really do a better job than those words, so...' - Good. Well, I'll be down tomorrow, and I really look forward to seeing you all. - I'm feeling really excited. I'm feeling even calmer than I was before because I know that he has everything sorted out. - But if the wedding looks straightforward, think again, because friends and whanau will be seated on three different levels of the venue. - So there's going to be a few moving parts trying to make` connect those three levels. - And that's before we connect to the bagless piper. - (IMITATES BAGPIPE MUSIC) (EXCITING MUSIC) - It's the day before Emma and Adrian's wedding in Akaroa, Te Waipounamu. - I've turned up to Emma's mum's house, which is where we're doing the ceremony tomorrow. - Ah, tena koe. - Tena koe. E mihi ana. Lovely to meet you. Kia ora. - And this is Erena. - Mm? - Erena. - Erena. Tena koe. - Kia ora. Lovely to meet you. - Tena koe. Kia ora. You too. - (SIGHS HAPPILY) It's going to be an amazing venue for a wedding. It's going to be on three levels, and I've never done a three-level wedding before. So there's going to be a few moving parts, trying to make` connect those three levels as a ceremony. (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) - With the logistical challenges of the stunning venue, Richard decides to hold a pre-rehearsal hui to go over the details. - Can I just do a fine detail of the timing of the move from the top to the middle? We're asking people to remain in their places while the wedding party descend to the lower balcony to sign the documents. During the signing, Waimarie will perform a short poi. Is it OK if the music starts at that point to cover you descending? - Yes. - And then we get` you get yourselves organised, and then... when you are ready, then you can start the poi. Is that OK? So that will then` Otherwise we're going to have something quite clunky where we're all gallivanting down a set of stairs... - Yeah. - ...without any cover. - Yep. - So are we good for that? - Sounds good to me. - Is that going to work? - She'll be gliding. - She'll be gliding. - (WOMEN LAUGH) - Floating. - Floating. - No. Too easy. Gliding. - Yeah. The way that I run things is I don't leave anything to chance. - And neither are our lovebirds. They're counting down to getting hitched. - I'm marrying Emma Waimarie Rawson because... she's beautiful; she's smart. She challenges me and, um, gives me good reasons to wake up every morning. I think I'll give the rings through these guys. What do you think? - Yes. I'm marrying Adrian because he's my mate. That's a really special relationship to have with somebody ` somebody who's just your mate as well as all the other really cool things. But that's... Yeah. - Now they're one step closer to wedded bliss and the beginning of the rehearsal. - 'The plan is for her to walk from a few houses down 'and then process up the driveway into Mum's house.' Cool. And then` - She's going to do the waiata too, the song that we're singing. - Yep, probably. How do I know when to start? - Mum, when you go like that. That will tell me you're ready. - Emma's sister is Aroha Rawson, and she's the` she's the amazing project manager for this wedding. - We're ready. - (IMITATES BAGPIPE MUSIC) - ADRIAN: Hey, stop desecrating a pipe. - As she's coming down the road, there's going to be a piper. We don't have a piper today because they're not here till tomorrow. And so Aroha is pretending to be the bagpipes. - You're gonna hold my hand? What are you gonna do? - All right. - OK. Yep, go. Come on. - And with the piper running out of puff, it's now time for Richard to step up. - So I say, 'Those of you who have seats available, please be seated,' and then, 'Tena koutou rau rakatira ma', mihi whakatau, and then 'kia ora', and then I'll go through our first bits and pieces. - Richard is quite pedantic. That's P-I`D-A-N-T-I-C. - (LAUGHS) You know? - Yeah, so` - He gives a sense of order. - And then we move straight into the 'mawwiage'. - Wuv, twue wuv. - I know. I'm a wascally wabbit doing mawwiages. I like to keep it light, because sometimes rehearsals can` and especially, this is a pretty involved rehearsal. It can get a little bit, um` if you're saying, 'No, we need to stop; we need to go back; we need to do that a bit, that bit again,' so I do like to crack a joke every so often, and I think it's very easy with this wedding cos I know the couple. Emma, do you freely choose Adrian to be your husband, promising to love him without reserve and be open to receiving his love in return? - I'm not sure. - You're not sure? - (LAUGHTER) - WOMAN: She's under duress! - I do. - Ki mai ano. For the marriage part, uh, we've gone with the declarations, so with some 'I dos' followed up with the exchanging of vows, which is the legal requirement. OK. And then there's two more segments to that. - Yep. - OK? And then I'll do the same. I'm going to move the microphone here, point it higher and say, 'Adrian, do you freely choose Emma to be your wife, 'promising to love her without reserve and be open to receiving her love in return?' - I do. - You do? Aren't you the lucky one? You better go buy a Lotto ticket now. Yeah. - The Lotto ticket is gonna have to wait ` there's a whole lot more mahi that needs to be done. - I would like you to read that. - You'd like me to read it now? - Yes, please. - So with our declarations in my heart` - Right. Can we hear that on the mic or not? No. Yeah, there was quite a bit of just making sure, right then and there, that we were all as clear as we possibly could be, I guess, around stepping forward, stepping back, stepping sideways, how close are we to the microphone, and then who goes first down the stairs back to the middle level and all of those sorts of things, so` I mean, in so many ways, it was really reassuring. Mm. - OK. You're going to step together, and I'm going to get out of the way cos you're gonna have to go and do a smooch, and I have no intention of being in the middle of that. - It's been an amazing day. It was beautiful. The weather's looking great and looking really good for tomorrow. I really just want to get to it now. (LAUGHS) - But will Richard's three-level planning be in vain... - You're in Canterbury now. Toughen up. - (LAUGHS) - ...when the groomsmen head to church and the bride's nerves take over? (LIGHT MUSIC) It's Adrian and Emma's special day. And while the bride and celebrant get ready for the ceremony,... Adrian and his groomsmen suit up and head to church for the morning service. - And I love the colour coordination that Emma chose. - (CHUCKLES) - Oh, so I wear suits anyway, and so when we got the three suits, it was a bit of a godsend, really. Fitted just right. And because we had wanted to get married in Rome, we really wanted to keep a lot` as much of the Italian theme as possible. And I liked the colour of the suits, because, you know, we're talking about Italy, so that's colourful and just really wanted to see that kind of Italian kaupapa. - PRIEST: Together in life and eternity. - I was revitalised by the sermon, and I was ready to go get married. - Meanwhile, Emma gets her own blessing from daughter Waimarie. - I was so nervous and so... She's kind of my go-to when I need a karakia. - # Taki uru, taki uru, taki uru. # Hau hau te toki. # Marea ana ko te nuku. # Marea ana ko te rei. # Tawhito ana te uru rei. # Mako ai ko te tunga te hau tere. # Pipiwai ana ko te morehu. # - He kai paratia. - Thank you. That was amazing. That really helped to whakatau my wairua, and it actually made everything so much smoother going forward after that. Yeah. - Here. - I think that's longer than my sporran. - Well, we stretch. - She said it's` Let's have a go. Go over my massive head. Yeah, on the wedding day, I received a golden tiki from my first cousin that she had made, and it was beautiful. So I'm telling everyone it's gold. - Hey. - YOUNG MAN: It's gold greenstone. Hei tiki. - And it's` it is contemporary. - Now it's time I finally get to put my dress on, and then I need to put on the kakahu that's been made for me by Adrian's cousin Cindy. And my sister's there, and she's helping me to figure out how to tie it. - Who's got the time on them? - WAIMARIE: It is... 12.59. - Ah. Perfect. Uh, this might need to be shortened a little. - OK. You guys want to, um... - Beautiful, Mama. - Feeling really beautiful, and I'm feeling very loved with the kakahu that's been made for me and this beautiful dress that I've been really looking forward to wearing. - With the beautiful bride dressed, Richard and Adrian wait at the venue. - (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) OK. - It's getting real all of a sudden. And so all my nervousness kind of came into one place, and then it kind of moved into a place of` of gratitude and happiness. But it's` it's all happening now. - So we've gotten to the house, and it is the best day for a wedding. It's all there; it's all ready to go. (BAGPIPER PLAYS 'MAIRI'S WEDDING') - ADRIAN: I was standing there, just looking, and then out from one of the trees and in the clearing on the road, I see my wife for the first time in her beautiful garb and her veil. It was sensational. - It's now time for Richard to take centre stage. - A, no reira, tena koutou katoa, rau rakatira ma, a, no reira. Huri noa, huri noa ki tenei te tokorua nei a kua tatu mai mo a raua marenataka a, no reira, tena korua, tena korua nau mai haramai, haramai te mana, haramai te ihi, haramai te wehi, haramai te tapu, A, nau mai, nau mai, whakatau mai ra. (GENTLE MUSIC) We come now to the declarations in which our couple will make their intentions clear. So, firstly, to Emma, do you freely choose Adrian to be your husband, promising to love him without reserve and be open to receiving his love in return? - I do. - Do you promise to care for Adrian, offering him your trust, respect and encouragement? - I do. - Thank you. Adrian. Do you promise to share life's joys and face life's challenges with Emma as you continue your journey together? - I do. - We are now going to hear vows from Adrian and Emma. (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) - So with our declarations in my heart, and with this ring, I, Emma Rawson, take you, Adrian Te Patu, to be my husband. - Adrian, could you please take Emma's hands in yours? - So with our declarations in my heart, and with this ring, I, Adrian Te Patu, take you, Emma Rawson, to be my wife. - It is now my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. - (WHOOPS AND APPLAUSE) - At this point, they're allowed to have a kiss. - (WHOOPS AND CHEERS) (CHEERING) (GENTLE MUSIC SWELLS) - At this point, we're going to ask you to all remain in your places while the wedding party descend to the lower balcony. There, they're going to sign the documents. During the signing, Waimarie will perform a short poi. - It may not have been in Rome, but this wedding was bellissimo in every sense of the word. - And if you're going to have short poi, you're going to have pipes. - (CHUCKLES) - You know, clan-tribe iwi ` concepts of kinship that link us all. It was perfect. - Mm. - Richard's done a fantastic job. One of the things we really appreciated about the ceremony, as kind of brought to us by Richard, really, was to involve ourselves as much as possible. But it was poignant. It was simple. - RICHARD: 'So I'd just really like to thank Adrian and Emma 'for the privilege of sharing their special day with them and with their whanau.' # I roto i # te tohu me... # Thank you for your confidence in me. It's been a wonderful time. - Next time on Aroha Nui ` the fabulous Luke Bird is running the show in Tahuna. - How are we all feeling? - (WHOOPS AND CHEERS) - Fantastic. Now, the team are ready... - But could the bride be in hot water? - A few weeks ago, I told Alex not to write his vows at the last possible moment. I haven't written them at all. - And will the groom be upstaged by his best man? Just third-wheeling it for Boris and mum.