Consanguinity in Marriage: Legality of Cousin Marriage in Philippines & New Zealand

Question
Hi there
I know you are based in the US, but are you able to tell me whether it is legal or not to marry your 1st cousin in either the Phillippines or in New Zealand??
Thanks

Answer
Hi Shelly~

I don't know about the Phillippines, but I do know that you can legally marry a cousin in New Zealand, so it's not illegal there.  In fact, I Googled it and there was an article that said that out of any country around, it's the place where it's most widely accepted to marry your cousin in the world.  So it's not an uncommon thing in the world, besides being illegal here in the states (in the US).  I do know it's illegal here.