JUDY NETANA - MARRIAGE CELEBRANT
Māori & Polynesian Ceremonies
Kia ora koutou,
Ko Judy Netana toku ingoa. I am a Māori Marriage Celebrant based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. My vision is to provide our people with an opportunity to have a wedding ceremony that incorporates who we are. Although I am not fluent in te Reo, I know enough to bring Te Reo into your ceremony while I continue on my journey of knowledge. Always growing. Always learning. Whaowhia te kete mātauranga (Fill the basket of knowledge)
As a proud Māori Marriage Celebrant, it is a privilege for me being able to incorporate any element of my culture into a wedding ceremony, beginning with a karakia , and ending with a whakatauki. I can also facilitate a Korowai ceremony, pounamau exchange, or something specific to you or your iwi.
I am Ngati Raukawa raised in Otautahi. I am married to a strong Nga Puhi warrior, and together we have 4 beautiful children and many whangai and Mokopuna. I have a great respect for the Traditional Owners of the lands where we now stand, and pay respect to their Elders – past, present and emerging – and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the community.
How can I incorporate my Culture into my ceremony
I can welcome everyone in te Reo and perhaps also say a brief mihi - a short introduction - pepeha. But keep in mind, it is not about the Celebrant, it is about you. It is your day, so although I can do this, it’s not something I push on to clients.
We also have some wonderful waiata that fit perfectly into a wedding. Imagine walking back down the aisle to the sweet, delicate tones of a koauau which has been likened to a seabird's call, or the sound of wind in treetops. At my own wedding I walked down to a karanga and had a kapa haka roopu waiting for me at the end of the aisle with my husband. It was truly beautiful and I bawled my eyes out. We also had my Mother-in-laws favourite himene after our karakia, and I again, bawled my eyes out so much so that I couldn’t sing.
As I mentioned previously, I like to begin my ceremonies with karakia and this too can be followed up with a waiata. And what better way to finish off than with a Whakatauki/blessing.
There are many other elements that can be used in the body of the ceremony which I would love to discuss with you and welcome your ideas or your vision.
As well as our own proud Māori culture, often there is an inter cultural marriage. It is sometimes another Pacific Island, or even a Middle Eastern or European culture. These give us all a wonderful opportunity to expand our knowledge of the world around us by learning as much as possible that can be utilised in the marriage ceremony. I recently had a Māori bride and a Philippine groom. When I asked him what we could incorporate to represent his culture he had no idea. This gave me the opportunity to do some research and what I discovered was 3 different rituals we were able to use that were significant to his people. The fact that he had been born and brought up in Australia deprived him of the knowledge however both himself and his family were very grateful.
So whatever you’re looking for in your wedding, give me a call or send me a message and let’s see how we can make that happen for you. And even if you have no plan and no vision, we can create one together.
Some little whakatauki to leave you with….
He aroha te aroha – love is love
Ka nui taku aroha ki a koe - My love for you knows no bounds.
E iti noa ana nā te aroha - A small thing given in love.
Aroha mai, aroha atu - Love received demands love returned.
Ko Hinemoa, ko āhau - I am just like Hinemoa, I’d risk all for love