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Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registration of information - Births - Notification of births

11: Preliminary notice of birth in New Zealand must be provided

You could also call this:

"Tell the government when a baby is born in New Zealand"

Illustration for Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

When a baby is born in New Zealand, you must tell the Registrar-General within 5 working days. If the baby is born in a hospital, the hospital must provide this information. In other cases, a doctor, midwife, or the person in charge of the place where the baby was born must provide the information.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7273621.

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Family and relationships > Children and parentingGovernment and voting > Government departments
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Part 2Registration of information
Births: Notification of births

11Preliminary notice of birth in New Zealand must be provided

  1. Preliminary notice of a birth in New Zealand must be provided to the Registrar-General within 5 working days after the birth.

  2. If a birth takes place during or immediately before the birth mother’s admission to a hospital, the occupier of the hospital must provide the preliminary notice.

  3. In any other case, the preliminary notice of the birth must be provided to the Registrar-General by—

  4. a medical practitioner who is present at the birth; or
    1. if no medical practitioner is present at the birth, a midwife who is present at the birth; or
      1. if neither a medical practitioner nor a midwife is present at the birth, the occupier of the premises in which the birth takes place or to which the birth mother is admitted immediately after the birth.

        1. The Registrar-General must notify the Director-General of Health of all stillbirths for which a preliminary notice has been provided.

        2. In this section,—

          hospital means a hospital care institution as defined in section 58(4) of the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001

            midwife means a health practitioner who is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Midwifery Council established by section 114(3) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 as a practitioner of the profession of midwifery

              occupier, in relation to any premises, means the person for the time being in charge of the premises.

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