The Department of Internal Affairs: Births Deaths and Marriages - Finding Family History Records


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Births, Deaths and Marriages - Whanautanga, Matenga, Marenatanga

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Finding Family History Records

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Birth, death, marriage and civil union records
Searches of the records
Printout of historic registrations
More information
Frequently asked questions about certificates and printouts

Birth, Death, Marriage and Civil Union records
The records held by the Births, Deaths and Marriages may be used to research family history. We hold information about all New Zealand birth, death, marriage and civil union records. Some date as far back as 1848.

You may access registered information in the following ways:

Searches Of The Records
To request a search of birth, death, marriage or civil union records, you will need to know:

The full name of the person about whom you want information (or both people if it is a marriage or civil union, ensuring to quote the party's surnames at birth or previous marriage or civil union surname.
The type of event (i.e. birth, death, marriage or civil union);
The date, year, or period of years to search for that event;
The place where the event happened;
Any further information you know that might help us to identify the correct record (e.g. parents names).

We will accept either the bride's or the groom's name only in the case where the marriage year/folio number is provided – also where folio number is provided, the place the marriage occurred is optional.

It is important the information you provide with your request is as accurate as possible. It may be an idea to ask other family members for information before making your request.

The printout/certificate fee is the cost for the product. If we cannot locate the record with the information provided, we still start charging you search fees. Prior to contacting you, we will have searched a 3-year period and a fee of $15.00 will have been charged.

For example, if the year you quote is 1992 we undertake a search of index for the year given plus a year either side. If we cannot find the event in those years we will contact you to ask if you would like us to search additional years at NZ$1.00 for each additional year. If you agree and request us to search 1994 and 1995 then we will charge you an extra NZ$2.00:

If we find the event in 1995 and you wish to have a certificate then the total fee for the certificate is NZ$43.00 (NZ$26.00 plus the NZ$17.00 search cost); or

If we cannot find the event the total fee will be NZ$17.00 (NZ$15.00 plus NZ$2.00 search cost) and you will not receive a certificate. However, you can request more years to be searched or we can refund the amount remaining to you.

Printout of Historic Registrations
If your search on the microfiche is successful, you may wish to purchase either a certificate or a printout (which usually contains more information than a certificate). A printout costs NZ$26.00 if the event took place from 1848 to 1874, or NZ$20.00 if the event took place after 1874. The cost of the certificate or printout is additional to the cost of the search. Search fees are payable for extended searches.

Printouts of records from the following years are available from our Auckland and Wellington offices:

Births 1848 - 1997
Deaths 1848 - 1997
Marriages 1854 - 1997

How to apply

Complete the Request for an Electronic Printout of a Birth, Death, Marriage or Civil Union Record BDM 92 and post it with a cheque or bank draft (in New Zealand currency) or a New Zealand Post money order to Births, Deaths and Marriages; or
Write to Births, Deaths and Marriages with the details we need and a cheque or bank draft (in New Zealand currency) or a New Zealand Post money order; or
Fax Births, Deaths and Marriages with appropriate details and your credit card details; or
Call Free (NZ) 0800 22 52 52 or phone (+64 4) 474 8150 (from outside New Zealand) and provide details over the phone if paying by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express only); or
Visit one of our offices.

More Information
For further information see New Zealand Genealogical Links (NZHistory.net) or Family Record Research: a guide to tracing your family history Information Brochure (pdf 144kb)


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Last updated: 31/07/2008