Our lecturers are respected, practising celebrants, with many years of combined experience.

 

Kathrine Fraser

Director and Occasional Lecturer

Diploma in Celebrant Studies; MPhil (1st Class Hons); BA (Soc Sci); NZCS (Chemistry); CANZ Life Member & Past President; VCANZ

Kathrine was inexplicably attracted to ceremony at a young age, which saw her negotiating with a minister to be able to craft her marriage ceremony, long before that was even thinkable! She created a few ceremonies for various life events before discovering the Certificate in Celebrant Studies run by course founder, Mary Hancock. This was a “Eureka moment” from which she has never looked back!
She contributed to the Celebrants’ Association of NZ Inc as a Branch Committee member, Conference Co-Convener, OPD Consultant, and, in 2011, was elected National President. She led the organisation on a path of regeneration, helping it strengthen and unify celebrants. Next, she returned to The Celebrant School as a lecturer, and in 2016, she accepted the mantle of Director from Mary. She brings to the role her diverse career experiences – spanning scientific research, industry training, organisation development consulting, education management, and celebrancy – as well as a passionate commitment to the value that ceremony and ritual can add to contemporary society.

Winnie Duggan

Lecturer & Supervisor

Diploma in Celebrant Studies; BA(Hons); Dip Teaching; Master of Guidance and Counselling; Cert. in Clinical Supervision; Life Member CANZ.

Winnie brings to The Celebrant School her life skills as a secondary teacher, a counsellor and supervisor, and a celebrant. She trained in 2007 and the following year co-authored “Be Fertile with Your Infertility – creative ways to acknowledge the infertility journey using ceremony and ritual”. Winnie enjoys creating ceremony with couples embarking on marriage together and working with families to craft funerals and other life transitions.
Her days are structured to enable a nourishing balance of private counselling and supervision, teaching celebrants, leading a broad range of ceremonies, and enjoying walks, quilting, crafts, baking, learning Te Reo Māori, and being with family and friends. Her Ginger Crunch is a legend amongst the students who’ve been lucky enough to study in face-to-face classes with her!

Darcie Price

Lecturer

Diploma in Celebrant Studies; Certificate in Adult & Tertiary Education; Certificate in Adult Literacy & Numeracy; Certificate in Education Support; CANZ.

Darcie brings a vibrant sense of fun and adventure to our team, coupled with a deep appreciation for ritual and ceremony, which have been integral to her life. Based in Whangārei, she successfully runs her own celebrant business while also working at a local primary school as a teacher aide, librarian, and assistant in Māori and Pasifika teachings, including Kapa haka.

Expressive, driven, Darcie thrives on creativity, whether it’s through words, arts and crafts, photography, Cook Island dance, or gardening.  Curious about the world around her, she is always eager to learn and explore new ideas and experiences and hear the stories of people and places.

Kelly Townsend

Lecturer

Diploma in Celebrant Studies; Diploma in Facilitation & Coaching, Grief Recovery Method© Certification, Holding Space Leaders Program (Heather Plett), VCANZ.

Kelly is a proud Northlander, now based on the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland. She balances portfolio roles as a busy celebrant, facilitator, and HR consultant, along with enjoying travel, sport, genealogy, community volunteering, and connecting with friends and family.

Her background is in management & technology consulting, and she is passionate about learning. As her kete of celebrant skills has grown, she has envisioned an end-to-end service encompassing conscious living and dying. “How do we want to live our lives? Ritual is a core part of this. Preparing for our death can help us commit to living every day more fully.” 

Alexa Shaw

Lecturer

Diploma in Celebrant Studies; Diploma in Photography; Certificate in Massage.

Hailing from a long line of ceremony creators and ritual makers, it was inevitable that Alexa would be drawn to celebrancy.
She grew up in Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington and she currently calls Manawatu home. She brings a youthful vitality to both her celebrant services and her teaching, leading the Ceremony and Celebrations training at The Celebrant School. She has worked as an Afterlife Pet Care Specialist, embracing both her love of animals and contemporary celebrancy.
Alexa enjoys creative pursuits that lend to her love of storytelling through dance, photography, painting and writing, all of which can weave into special ceremonies as well as everyday life rituals.

Kerry-Ann Stanton

Lecturer

Certificate in Celebrant Studies, BA. Sociology, Dip Teaching, Cert. Ontological Coaching, Post Grad Dip Dance Studies, Registered Open Floor Dance Teacher

Kerry-Ann was amongst the inaugural intake of students into the Certificate of Celebrant Studies, which was the first training programme in the world for civil celebrants. She has worked as a Celebrant since 1998 and has been a key lecturer at The Celebrant School since 2012. In 2015, Kerry-Ann was awarded the Visionary Celebrant Award by the Celebrants’ Association of New Zealand Inc. (CANZ)

These days she works as a Dance Guide and specialises in teaching the Transitions Course. As a Celebrant, Ritual Maker and Sacred Space Artiste she is committed to the fullest exploration of what it means to live and die, and all the transitions in between.

Workshop Presenters

We source specialist presenters for our workshops and ongoing professional development workshops.