Arin Jon McNaught, 47, was before the Invercargill District Court this week for the uncommon crime of being legally married to two women at the same time.
The court was told McNaught had a destination wedding to his first wife in Sigatoka, Fiji in 2009 and the New Zealand citizens then lived together before separating after five years.
The police summary said the estranged couple signed a separation and relationship property agreement a year later, but nothing more was done to finalise their divorce.
Before his second marriage in Invercargill last year, the truck driver called Births, Deaths and Marriages to find out his marital status and was told he would have to formally dissolve his marriage through the Fijian authorities.
The man said that he attempted to contact the correct authorities but there were language barriers that restricted him from continuing.
Counsel Jono Ross said although ignorance of the law could not be an excuse, his client showed a degree of "naivete" in believing his second marriage would cancel out the first.
Judge David Ruth, however, pointed out that the man listed himself as "never married or civil union" on his more recent application for a marriage licence.
The court heard that upon seeing Facebook photos of the Invercargill wedding, the disgruntled first wife made a complaint to the police, saying she "firmly hoped that the defendant was prosecuted".
Mr Ross said the proceedings had led to a difficult conversation between the bigamist and his new spouse.
The charge of bigamy does not come before the court very often.
In 2012, Rodney Peach was convicted in the Manukau District Court of the same charge for marrying his partner while still wed to his unsuspecting wife of 28 years; and a man pleaded guilty in Porirua to the charge three years ago.
McNaught was convicted and discharged.
