Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registration of information - Name changes - Registration of name change in birth record or name-change record

71: When Registrar-General may register name change

You could also call this:

"When You Can Change Your Name"

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

The Registrar-General can register a name change for you if your birth record or name change record will have one surname and one or more other names after the change. You can also have just one name if your religious or cultural beliefs require it. The Registrar-General must register the name change as soon as possible after you apply, unless they think it is not a good idea for you to have the new name. You can appeal if the Registrar-General decides not to register your name change, by following the process in section 30. The Registrar-General will register your name change after you apply, if you follow the process in section 67, 69, or 70. However, the Registrar-General cannot register a name change if you are going back to your old name after a marriage or civil union. The Registrar-General has rules to follow when registering name changes, and you can find more information about this in other parts of the law, such as s 21B. The Registrar-General's decision will depend on your individual situation, and they will consider what is best for you and for the public interest.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7273646.

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

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70: Application for name change by guardian of eligible child, or

"A guardian can apply to change an eligible child's name by following some rules."

72: Registrar-General must give effect to decisions under Care of Children Act 2004, or

"The Registrar-General must update a child's birth record if ordered to do so under the Care of Children Act."

Part 2Registration of information
Name changes: Registration of name change in birth record or name-change record

71When Registrar-General may register name change

The Registrar-General may register a name change only if, after the name change is registered, the person’s birth record or name change record will include—
1 name as the person’s surname and 1 or more other names; or
if the religious or philosophical beliefs, or cultural traditions, of the person or of a parent (whether living or dead) or living guardian of the person require the person to have only 1 name, 1 name.

The Registrar-General must, if the requirements of subsection (1) are met, register a name change as soon as practicable after an application or request is made in accordance with section 67, 69, or 70 unless the Registrar-General considers that it is undesirable in the public interest for the person to have the proposed name.
A person affected by a decision of the Registrar-General to decline to register a name change under subsection (2) may appeal against the decision under section 30.
However, the Registrar-General must not register a name change in respect of an eligible person who is abandoning a surname assumed on marriage or entry into a civil union (without a registered name change) and reverting to the person’s registered name.

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s 21B