The Department of Internal Affairs

The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation

 

Services › Other Services › Congratulatory Message Service

The Congratulatory Message Service is a way of acknowledging people's special anniversaries and birthdays. This service is available to all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents residing in New Zealand. If the person resides outside New Zealand you should provide reasons for consideration as to why a message should be sent. There is no fee for this service.


Who sends congratulatory messages


Eligible Occasions
Her Majesty the Queen
His Excellency The Governor-General
The Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the local Member of Parliament
The Minister for Senior Citizens

50th (Golden)
Wedding anniversary

X

X


55th (Emerald)
Wedding anniversary


X


60th (Diamond) Wedding anniversary
X

X

X


65th, 70th and 75th Wedding anniversaries
X

X

X


Birthdays of 100 years
X

X

X

X

Birthdays of 101 - 104 years


X

X

Birthdays of 105 years and older
X

X

X

X


When should you apply

You should apply approximately four to eight weeks before the anniversary. If the anniversary is in January you should apply no later than the first week of December.

If we receive a request less than two weeks before the anniversary we will try to send the message before the event but we cannot make any guarantees.

You may request a message be sent after the anniversary, but that can be no later than 6 months after the anniversary date.


Information we need

  • Occasion being celebrated (birth or marriage)
  • Date of birth or marriage
  • If the birth or marriage occurred outside New Zealand attach evidence, if available.
  • Full name(s) of the person(s) to whom the message is to be sent
  • Preferred first names of the person(s) to whom the message is to be sent
  • Home address and address where the message is to be sent if different
  • Name of the electorate where the person(s) resides, if known
  • Contact details of the person supplying the information

How to arrange a congratulatory message

The following form should be completed. There is a button at the bottom of the fillable form which attaches the data to an email to be sent to us. This is our preferred format for receiving applications. Alternatively, you can type or handwrite on the fillable form and email or post it to us. *This document is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. To read this format you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download a free version from the Adobe site.


Statistics on the Congratulatory Message Service

Statistics for the number of requests received for each particular occasion celebrated, the anniversary date and the electorate the person receiving the congratulation resides in:

Contact us

Congratulatory Message Service
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 10526
Wellington 6143
Phone: (04) 382 3639
Fax: (04) 382 3581
Email: congrat@dia.govt.nz