The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs : Services : A Persons Right to Access and, Where Appropriate, Correct the Information.


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A Person's Right to Access and, Where Appropriate, Correct the Information

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Personal information is collected in accordance with the Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act 1995. The information forms part of a public register. With a few restrictions (e.g., in respect of adoptions), the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages is obliged by law to make the information available to any member of the public by way of a certificate or printout, provided they meet certain criteria. The Registrar-General may also release this information to certain government agencies, as authorised by law.

To apply for a certificate, printout or access register report to view the information Births, Deaths and Marriages holds on yourself or any other person (with some exceptions), you must:

1. Make an application in a manner approved by the Registrar-General, and provide the name, address and daytime phone number of the applicant in case we have questions regarding the application. You may be required to provide evidence of your identity.

2. Provide the following information in respect to a named person or persons:

The full name of the person for whom you require a certificate or printout (or both people if applying for a marriage or civil union certificate or printout, ensuring to quote the parties' surnames at birth or previous marriage or civil union surname).
The date of the event.
The place the event occurred.
The names of parents (if applying for a birth certificate).

3. Pay the prescribed fee or fees.

Information held in a birth, death, marriage or civil union register may only be changed if it contains an error. Before a decision is made whether information held in a register is information that should be corrected, you may be asked to provide one or more statutory declarations relating to the circumstances in question, any other evidence the Registrar-General thinks fit, or both.


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Last updated: 04/09/2009