The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs : Services : Other Services : Congratulatory Message Service


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Congratulatory Message Service

The Congratulatory Message Service is a way of acknowledging people's special anniversaries. This service is available to all New Zealand residents free of charge.

Who sends congratulatory messages:

Her Majesty the Queen (through Government House)
His Excellency The Governor-General
the Prime Minister
the Minister of Internal Affairs
the Minister for Senior Citizens and the local Member of Parliament.

Anniversaries eligible for a Congratulatory Message:

50th (Golden) wedding anniversary
55th (Emerald) wedding anniversary
60th (Diamond) wedding anniversary
65th, 70th and 75th wedding anniversaries
birthdays of 100 years and over.

Her Majesty The Queen (through Government House) sends messages of congratulations on the following occasions:

wedding anniversary - 60th, 65th ,70th, 75th
birthday - 100 years.

His Excellency The Governor-General sends messages of congratulations on the following occasions:

wedding anniversary - 50th, 60th, 65th , 70th, 75th
birthday - 100 years, 105 years.

The Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the local Member of Parliament send messages of congratulations on the following occasions:

wedding anniversary - 50th, 55th, 60th, 65th , 70th, 75th
birthday - every birthday 100 years and over.

The Minister for Senior Citizens sends messages of congratulations on the following occasions:

every birthday 100 years and over.

Arranging a congratulatory message
Our application form:

An application form in electronic format is available to download here (26k)*. Once the form is downloaded to your computer, you can print it, then complete it using a pen and return the form and accompanying material to us by mail to the Congratulatory Message Service.

Our brochure:

An electronic (.pdf) version of our information brochure is also available for download here (200k)*.
Hard copies are available from the Congratulatory Message Service.

*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.
Information we need / Timeframe

full name(s) of the person(s) to whom the message is to be sent
full home address (and address where the message is to be delivered if different from the home address)
date and place of birth or marriage (copies of the birth certificate or marriage certificate should be included if possible). Confirmation of a celebration date is desired but not essential
name and electorate of their local Member of Parliament (if known)
home address and phone number of the person supplying the above information (the informant).

Ideally we would like to receive the aforementioned details at least one month prior to the event. This ensures that all parties sending messages have ample time to get these organised. However, experience has shown that people often leave this to the last minute or only become aware of the service shortly before the anniversary date.

If we receive an urgent last-minute request (less than two weeks prior to the anniversary) we will endeavour to have these messages dispatched as soon as possible, however we cannot guarantee that these messages will be received prior to the anniversary date in question.

Similarly, we are able to organise urgent belated messages up to six months after the anniversary date. Unfortunately we are unable to organise belated messages if the anniversary date is more than six months in the past.

In all cases we will send out a letter, fax or email (depends on how the request was submitted) to the informant within one week acknowledging receipt of the message request and confirming when the messages will be dispatched (usually one calendar week prior to the anniversary or celebration date, whichever is first).

It is imperative that the informant checks the information on this confirmation letter carefully and notifies the Congratulatory Message Service as soon as possible if this needs to be altered, or if the message should not be dispatched (see contact details below).

Contact us
Congratulatory Message Service
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 805
Wellington 6140
Phone: (04) 470-2974
Fax: (04) 470-2921
Email: congrat@egs.govt.nz


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Last updated: 14/08/2009