I’m 36 and have been with my current girlfriend for almost 5 years now - my longest relationship yet. We live together & everything else couply, just not married. I see marriage as unnecessary pressure that has a tendency to put strain on the relationship. Right now if we’re happy together we stay, if we’re not we split. Simple. Marriage complicates it.
Not only that, but if you are ever destroyed by a car or something, being married gives you the ability to see them in the hospital and make life decisions for them. I think the default is family, which might be risky in some relationships.
Side note, it’s a very good idea for you to get your will and medical powers written up while you are young. You might not be conscious if you get injured, and you may or may not want to be on a ventilator and artificial food for 30 years.
Ye, the medical thing concerns me. NZ has a national health record system that let’s you register a primary emergency contact. From everything I’ve read, that, coupled with the fact that we’re in a defacto relationship should be enough to prevent that being an issue. I hope that stays untested