Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registration of information - Births - Registration of births

20: Birth record must include parents’ details

You could also call this:

"Your birth record must include information about your parents."

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

When you are born, the Registrar-General must put information about your parents in your birth record. This happens when your parents tell the Registrar-General about your birth under section 12. The Registrar-General must also put information about your other parent in your birth record if they are satisfied the information is correct. If one parent has already told the Registrar-General about your birth, the Registrar-General can add the other parent's information if they are satisfied it is correct. This can happen if a court has said who your father is, or if your father has been made your guardian under the Care of Children Act 2004. You or your parents can also ask the Registrar-General to add information about your parents to your birth record. If the Registrar-General decides to add or not add information about your parents, you or your parents can appeal this decision under section 30. When you are adopted, only the information in your original birth record is used for this purpose. This is also the case for sections 21 and 22 of this Act.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7273632.

This page was last updated on 6 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Family and relationships > Children and parentingGovernment and voting > Government departments

19: Birth record must indicate if person is New Zealand citizen by birth, or

"Your birth record shows if you're a New Zealand citizen by birth."

21: Parents may request that birth record include information relating to parents’ marriage or civil union after child’s birth, or

"Adding marriage or civil union details to a child's birth record"

Part 2Registration of information
Births: Registration of births

20Birth record must include parents’ details

The Registrar-General must register information about the identity of the parent or parents who notify a birth of a child under section 12 in the child’s birth record.
The Registrar-General must register information about the identity of a parent of the child who has not notified the child’s birth if—
1 parent notified the birth under section 12(2)(a)(ii) to (iv) and the Registrar-General is satisfied that the information relates to the other parent of the child; or
the information relates to a man who is the child’s father and—
1. the Family Court or the High Court has declared the man to be the child’s father; or
2. the Family Court has made a paternity order declaring the man to be the child’s father; or
3. the man has been appointed or declared a guardian of the child under section 19 or 20 of the Care of Children Act 2004; or
the information relates to a person who requests, in accordance with any directions issued by the Registrar-General, that the information be included and the Registrar-General is satisfied that either or both of the following apply:
1. the person making the request is a parent of the child:
2. the other parent does not dispute the accuracy of the information.

A person affected by a decision of the Registrar-General to register, or to decline to register, information under subsection (2)(a) or (c) may appeal against the decision under section 30.
For the purposes of this section and sections 21 and 22, the only information recorded under this Act in respect of an adopted person is the information in the adopted person’s original birth record.

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