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

 

Kathrine Fraser

Director and Lecturer

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

Kathrine’s interest in ceremony was sparked in the 1990’s when she attended a particularly unsatisfying funeral for a family friend. She knew there had to be a better way, so she enrolled for and completed the Certificate in Celebrant Studies with course founder, Mary Hancock. It would be an understatement to say she has never looked back!
In 2011, having served the Celebrants’ Association of NZ Inc in a number of capacities, Kathrine was elected National President. She led the organisation on a path of regeneration, helping it strengthen and unify celebrants. After completing her term, she joined The Celebrant School as a lecturer, and in 2016, she succeeded Mary as Director. 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.

Kerry-Ann Stanton

Lecturer

BA., Dip Teaching, Cert. Ontological Coaching, Cert. in Celebrant Studies, Director Inspirita Dance.

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 for some years. She is also a coach, a teacher and a dance guide.
She has been working with groups since she was in her teens and is known as an empathetic leader, an enthusiastic teacher and a caring motivator. Kerry-Ann offers herself as a lecturer on this programme from a place of deep awareness of the privilege of being a Celebrant.
In 2015, Kerry-Ann was awarded the Visionary Celebrant Award by the Celebrants’ Association of New Zealand Inc. (CANZ)

Winnie Duggan

Lecturer

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

Winnie brings to this teaching role her life skills as a secondary teacher, a counsellor and supervisor, and a celebrant. She trained in 2007 and went on to co-author “Be Fertile with Your Infertility- creative ways to acknowledge the infertility journey using ceremony and ritual” in 2008. 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 from home, teaching celebrants, leading a broad range of ceremonies and enjoying walks, quilting and crafts, baking, learning Te Reo Māori and being with family and friends.

Darcie Price

Lecturer

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

Darcie brings a sense of fun and adventure to our team, as well as a strong sense of ritual and ceremony, both of which have been important throughout her life. Based in Whangarei, she runs her own successful celebrant business, in addition to training at-risk youth.
She is expressive and driven, and enjoys creating, whether it’s with words, arts and crafts or photography. Her teaching philosophy is holistic, and she embraces models like Te Whare Tapa Wha and inquiry learning, which put the learner at the centre of the process.

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.” 

Jean Green

Administrator

Jean is the behind-the scenes magician who guides aspiring celebrants through the enrolment process, answers their questions, and ensures they have what they need before they begin their celebrant journey.
With a background in diverse administration environments, Jean brings her people skills, personality, and sense of humour to her role. She keeps the wheels of The Celebrant School rolling smoothly, for which we are all extremely grateful.