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Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Fees, offences and penalties, regulations, and other miscellaneous provisions - Offences

138: False statements

You could also call this:

"It's an offence to make false statements or give fake information to get documents or hide details."

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

You commit an offence if you knowingly make a false statement about something that needs to be registered under this Act. This can include verifying a statement under section 69 or 70 that you know is false. You also commit an offence if you make a false statement to get a document or information. You can commit an offence if you make a false statement to get a non-disclosure direction under section 102. You commit an offence if you give a false means of identification for a purpose in this Act. If you commit one of these offences, you can be liable for imprisonment or a fine. The length of imprisonment or the amount of the fine depends on which offence you commit. For some offences, you can be imprisoned for up to 5 years. For others, you can be imprisoned for up to 3 years or 3 months, or you can be fined up to $10,000, or both.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7381404.

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Part 6Fees, offences and penalties, regulations, and other miscellaneous provisions
Offences

138False statements

  1. A person commits an offence if the person—

  2. knowingly makes, or causes to be made, any statement that is false in relation to any matter required to be notified or registered under this Act for the purpose of the registration of any information:
    1. verifies a statement under section 69 or 70 that the person knows to be false and intends to be misleading:
      1. makes a written or an oral statement, knowing that it is false or being reckless as to whether it is false, for the purpose of obtaining a source document, or a copy of a source document, or information recorded under this Act:
        1. knowingly makes, or causes to be made, any statement that the person knows to be false and intends to be misleading in connection with a request for a non-disclosure direction under section 102:
          1. for a purpose contemplated by this Act, provides any means of identification knowing that it is false or having reason to suspect that it has been forged or falsified.

            1. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1)(a) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years.

            2. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1)(b) is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years.

            3. A person who commits an offence against subsection (1)(c), (d), or (e) is liable on conviction to—

            4. imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months; or
              1. a fine not exceeding $10,000; or
                1. both.

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