Social Workers Registration Act 2003

Register and Registrar - Register of Social Workers

128: Entry to be cancelled on death of social worker

You could also call this:

"What happens to a social worker's registration when they die"

Illustration for Social Workers Registration Act 2003

When a social worker dies, a Registrar must be told about it. You can find out what a Registrar is by reading section 4 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021. The Registrar gets written notice of the death, with the date and place it happened.

If the social worker's name is in the Register, it must be removed as soon as possible after the Registrar gets the notice. The Board can also tell the Registrar to remove a social worker's name if they think the social worker has died. The Board does not need a certificate of cause of death to do this.

The Registrar must try to tell the social worker's personal representative about the removal of their name from the Register.

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This page was last updated on 7 August 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM190625.

Topics:

Work and jobs > Job licensesGovernment and voting > Government departments

127: Social worker may ask for registration to be cancelled, or

"A social worker can ask to be removed from the registration list by applying in writing."

129: Revision of Register, or

"Checking and updating the social worker register"

Part 7Register and Registrar
Register of Social Workers

128Entry to be cancelled on death of social worker

Promptly after registering the death of a person who appears to have been a social worker, a Registrar (within the meaning of section 4 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021) must give the Registrar written notice of the death, with particulars of its date and place.
If there is an entry in the Register relating to the person, the Registrar must, as soon as is practicable after receiving the notice, cancel it.
The Board may direct the Registrar to cancel the entry in the Register relating to a social worker if it believes on reasonable grounds (other than having received a certificate of cause of death (as defined in section 2(1) of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964)) that a social worker has died.
The Registrar must make reasonable efforts to give a copy of the direction to the social worker's personal representative.
Repealed

Notes

Section 128(1): substituted, on 24 January 2009, by section 47 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 48).
Section 128(1): amended, on 15 June 2023, by section 147 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 (2021 No 57).
Section 128(1): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 144(1) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 128(3): amended, on 28 February 2019, by section 144(1) of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
Section 128(3): amended, on 31 January 2018, by section 11 of the Burial and Cremation Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 74).
Section 128(5): repealed, on 24 January 2009, by section 47 of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 48).