Maybe I didn't know him, says wife of man charged with bigamy

Tania Peach. Photo / Supplied

The wife of a man accused of bigamy says she had "no idea" her husband was accused of remarrying without divorcing her.

Rodney Peach, 52, is accused of marrying Trisha Faiainoa while still married to Tania Peach.

He appeared in the Manukau District Court on Tuesday facing one charge of bigamy and one of knowing that a document including details of marriage was forged.

Tania Peach said she found out on Wednesday from daughter Sascha-Maria Peach that her husband of almost 28 years had remarried.

"I just wondered what was going on. I couldn't believe it. Being the first wife, I find it bizarre ... I'm totally blown away by it."

Peach did not return requests for comment last night.

Mrs Peach said she was legally separated from her husband but they had not talked about divorce.

They lived in New Zealand during their 27-year marriage and have two daughters.

Mrs Peach now lives in Queensland, where she moved this year after separating from her husband. She still referred to Peach as her husband while speaking on the phone.

Court documents say Peach is from South Africa and list him as a property developer. Mrs Peach did not think he was a property developer and thought he wasn't working at the moment, although the pair had not spoken for months.

On Thursday, the website of Auckland company Emerald Foods listed Peach as production manager. Yesterday, his picture and profile had been remove.

Asked if the allegations fitted her husband's character, Mrs Peach replied: "I would have said no, but maybe I didn't know him at all."

Auckland University family law expert Pauline Tapp said that under the Marriage Act, people had to swear, when applying for a marriage licence, that they were single.

If someone was married when completing the application, they were committing fraud.

The crime is punishable by up to seven years in prison, or up to two years if both parties knew the marriage would be void because of a previous marriage.