16 August 2021
45 Pipitea Street, Wel ington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Tina Marie Kahurangi
fyi-request-19707-
[email address]
Tēnā koe Tina Marie
Official Information Act request 2223-0058 – Application for a registration of name change
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 19 July 2022.
You requested –
•
Why is an affidavit of life instrument, that has been signed, finger printed, and witnessed
with a seal of a public notary, not sufficient enough to amend the outdated information
held with the registrar of BDM or DIA;
•
What authorizes the registrar to not amend the record, and what is their job description;
In response to the first part of your request, I must advise that a person or their legal
guardian(s) may request a name change by providing a completed statutory declaration on a
Name Change form, the prescribed fee, and any required evidence. This process is clearly set
out in section 21A(2)(a) of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act
1995.
You can find this information via the fol owing link: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships
Registration Act 1995 No 16 (as at 01 July 2022), Public Act 21A Application for registration of
name change – New Zealand Legislation.
In response to the remainder of your request, please refer to Appendix A, attached. Appendix A
provides you with a copy of the job description for a Life and Identity Services Officer (LISO).
Registrars are Births Deaths and Marriages trained LISOs who have been appointed by the
Registrar-General, as per section 81 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships
Registration Act 1995.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has
decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the DIA website. Al requestor data,
including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released
response will be made available here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-
Requests-2.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Julia Taylor
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Service Delivery and Operations
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