The Justice Ministry has appointed Tikka Rajinder Prakash Bedi as a Marriage Celebrant with immediate effect.
The Department of Internal Affairs appoints prominent members of various communities to function as Marriage celebrants based on a stringent set of criteria. All marriage celebrants must first be accepted as Justices of the Peace by the Government.
The role of Marriage Celebrants is supervised by the Registrar General.
Mr Bedi is known to Indian Newslink readers as the Secretary of the Auckland Sikh Society (which owns and manages Shri Dasmesh Darbar Gurdwara in Papatoetoe), former Assistant Secretary of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, former Secretary, Manukau Indian Association (now Member of the Executive Committee), Executive Committee Member of the Punjabi Cultural Association, an educator at the Papatoetoe Historical Society and as an interpreter at the Auckland and Counties Manukau District Health Boards.
Legal Practitioner
Born and raised in Punjab in India, Mr Bedi has postgraduate qualification in Sociology and a graduate degree in Law from the Punjab University (Chandigarh). He practiced law for 18 years at the Ludhiana Court before migrating to New Zealand with his wife Manmohan Kaur (Nimi) and their son Dasham in 2002.
Mr Bedi is a recipient of several honours including the ‘Volunteer of the Year Award’ (twice) given by the Mayor of then Manukau City and by the Otara Papatoetoe Local Board Chairman in 2012
“I look forward to serving the community as a Marriage Celebrant and raise awareness about the importance of registering marriages,” Mr Bedi said.
Email: raj.1442@yahoo.co.nz
