About

Dawn Parkinson - Celebrant

I was born in England in September 1971 where I was raised by my Parents, Helen and Graham Cotterill. Most of my life I lived on the Isle of Wight, until work took me to the medieval market town of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, which is on the edge of the Cotswolds.

I worked for many years in the hotel industry, as a Front Office Manager, before making a career change to work as a Personal Assistant.

1996 changed my life as I met Alan. In 2004 we finally become Husband and Wife, and only a year later we moved from what we knew, to the unknown. We moved from Tewkesbury, England to Marton, New Zealand. We had never visited this wonderful Country before, but had heard and read a lot of encouraging things. We knew it was the place to raise a family.

Our first born Son was born in 2006, followed by his Sister 3 years later and finally his younger Brother in 2011. Sam, Sophie and Thomas are full of energy and bring light into my life.

2nd November 2015, I was appointed by the Registrar General to be a Marriage and Civil Union Celebrant.

To further my professional development, I attended the Celebrant School in Auckland, to gain my 'Certificate in Celebrant Studies'. I have had tremendous support from my family, for which I will always be truly grateful. I believe all celebrants should be trained as the school gives you the knowledge and the understanding of the celebrant ceremony process.

I do work by a code of ethics as I was a member of the Celebrants' Association of New Zealand Inc, however due to rising costs of the membership, this year (2022) I have opted out, however I still remain working by a code of ethics. I regularly meet like minded celebrants to enhance myself as a person and as a celebrant.