The Department of Internal Affairs: Births Deaths and Marriages - Births Deaths and Marriages
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Births, Deaths and Marriages - Whanautanga, Matenga, Marenatanga

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Births, Deaths and Marriages - Whanautanga, Matenga, Marenatanga

Service Overview

Births, Deaths and Marriages registers and maintains New Zealand birth, death, marriage, civil union and name change information and provides access to that information by issuing certificates and printouts. The Births, Deaths and Marriages office also appoints marriage and civil union celebrants, and issues certificates of no impediment for people who wish to marry or enter into a civil union overseas. Through Births, Deaths and Marriages you can find further information about:


Forms, Fees and Information Brochures

Please see forms, fees and information brochures to download or view forms and brochures, and access information on fees.




Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records Website

Use our BDM Historical Records Website to search for historical birth, death and marriage records and order associated products.




Pictorial Birth Certificates

The birth of a child is a major event in any family’s life. Celebrate by turning the official record of birth into a treasured keepsake. To record the special event we offer a choice of two pictorial birth certificates, each uniquely New Zealand. What better gift for a child, partner, relative, friend or yourself. Buy separately or as a package with a standard birth certificate. See Get a Birth Certificate for details.




Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995

The changes to the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act received the Royal assent on 24 July 2008 and came into force on 25 January 2009.

A copy of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act 2008 is available: For further information about the changes please see the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act.




Most Popular First Names

Please see Most Popular Male and Female First Names to find the top 100 male and female names since 2004, based on births registered in New Zealand during each year.




Little Histories

This publication sets out some of the stories behind the Births, Deaths and Marriages registers. Author Megan Hutching, of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, profiles seven people who have worked closely with the registers. They describe the evolution of record keeping from beautiful old books, painstakingly handwritten, to computerised data systems that can search millions of records and verify the details of any particular one. Little Histories also contains some fascinating images. Among the book’s illustrations are some pictures of the earliest registers from as far back as the 1840s, published for the first time. For more information see Little Histories.




Information Matching

Information you supply to us may be used by other government agencies to allow more effective verification of information and help assess your eligibility for various services. Information matching is carried out under the authority of, and consistent with Part 10 of the Privacy Act 1993 and is monitored by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Relevant law

View statutes
Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995
Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Fees) Regulations 1995
Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1995
Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships (Non Disclosure Direction) Regulations 2008
Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2004
Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (Fees) Regulations 2005
Civil Union Act 2004
Civil Union (Prescribed Information, Fees, and Forms) Regulations 2005
Civil Unions (Recognised Overseas Relationships) Regulations 2005
Marriage Act 1955
Marriage (Fees) Regulations 1995
Marriage (Forms) Regulations 1995
Status of Children Act 1969
Status of Children (Fees) Regulations 1995
Adult Adoption Information Act 1985
Adult Adoption Information (Fees) Regulations 1991

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Last updated: 16/11/2009