The following announcement was written by New Zealand's Ministry of Internal Affairs:
A website which provides online access to New Zealand’s historical birth, death and marriage records was today launched by the Minister of Internal Affairs Richard Worth.
The website, developed by the Department of Internal Affairs, will be useful to genealogists and people who would like historical birth, death and marriage information about their relatives, said Dr Worth.
The website, developed by the Department of Internal Affairs, will be useful to genealogists and people who would like historical birth, death and marriage information about their relatives, said Dr Worth.
“I’m pleased to launch the site as part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to making more public information available online, whilst balancing the protection of people’s privacy and reducing opportunities for fraud,” he said.
The Births Death and Marriage Historical Records website, at www.bdmhistoricalrecords.identityservices.govt.nz/, provides access to information about:
The Births Death and Marriage Historical Records website, at www.bdmhistoricalrecords.identityservices.govt.nz/, provides access to information about:
- Births that occurred at least 100 years ago
- Stillbirths that occurred at least 50 years ago
- Marriages and eventually Civil Unions that occurred 80 years ago
- Deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago or the deceased's date of birth was at least 80 years ago.
The new website can also be accessed from the Department of Internal Affairs website at www.dia.govt.nz.
To use the site, people enter a family name and a ‘search from date’ or a registration number into the search box. They can then order a certificate or a print out from a list of search results and pay by credit card.
The historic data available is limited so that information relating to people who might still be alive can be protected.
Since 25 January this year, people wanting access to more recent birth, death, marriage, civil union or name change records need to show evidence of their identity and apply by post, fax or in person at BDM offices in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Manukau.
When applying for a certificate or related products for more recent records, people need to sign a written statement saying the information they are providing is true and correct. The statement must also be signed by a person of standing in the community.
This new requirement maintains public access to registers while also providing better safeguards for people’s personal information.
To use the site, people enter a family name and a ‘search from date’ or a registration number into the search box. They can then order a certificate or a print out from a list of search results and pay by credit card.
The historic data available is limited so that information relating to people who might still be alive can be protected.
Since 25 January this year, people wanting access to more recent birth, death, marriage, civil union or name change records need to show evidence of their identity and apply by post, fax or in person at BDM offices in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Manukau.
When applying for a certificate or related products for more recent records, people need to sign a written statement saying the information they are providing is true and correct. The statement must also be signed by a person of standing in the community.
This new requirement maintains public access to registers while also providing better safeguards for people’s personal information.
