Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registrar-General and registry - Functions, duties, and powers - Registrar-General’s powers of inquiry

127: Registrar-General’s powers of inquiry in relation to information recorded in registry

You could also call this:

"The Registrar-General can check information to make sure it's correct and accurate."

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

The Registrar-General can investigate information in the registry if they think it is necessary. You might be asked questions to check if a birth, death, marriage, or other event has happened. The Registrar-General wants to make sure the information is correct. The Registrar-General can also ask you to prove the information you give is true. You might need to fill out a special form or provide other evidence to support what you say. This helps the Registrar-General keep accurate records. The Registrar-General can check information about events that happened outside New Zealand, like a death or divorce. They can also check information about requests to keep some details private. This is all part of keeping the registry up to date and accurate.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7273777.

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

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126: Registrar-General may delegate functions, duties, and powers to Registrars, or

"The Registrar-General can give some jobs to Registrars to help with their work."

128: Registrar-General’s powers of inquiry in relation to information provided or verified electronically, or

"The Registrar-General can check if information is true, even if you confirmed it online."

Part 5Registrar-General and registry
Functions, duties, and powers: Registrar-General’s powers of inquiry

127Registrar-General’s powers of inquiry in relation to information recorded in registry

The Registrar-General may, if the Registrar-General considers it reasonably necessary for the purposes of this Act, make inquiries—
to determine whether a registrable event has occurred; or
to collect details of a registrable event; or
to ensure that there is a correct record of a registrable event; or
to determine whether any other information recorded in the registry is correct, including—
1. information recorded under section 50 or 63 in relation to a death, divorce, or dissolution of a marriage or civil union that occurred outside New Zealand; and
2. any information relating to a request for a non-disclosure direction.

The Registrar-General may also require a person who provides information under this section to—
make a statutory declaration to verify the information on a form provided by the Registrar-General; or
provide other evidence in support of the information provided.

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