Hon Peter Dunne
Minister of Internal Affairs

20 October 2016
Report on public access to Births, Deaths, Marriages records presented to Parliament

Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Peter Dunne, today presented to Parliament a report on the review of public access to birth, death, marriage, civil union, and name change (BDM) records.

The report meets a requirement to review the operation of access provisions in the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995 after five years, which Parliament put in place as part of changes it made in 2009.

A number of submissions from individuals and organisations were received on the Discussion Paper and the Proposals Paper issued by the Department of Internal Affairs.

“The submissions highlight how much the public value access to BDM records, in particular, to help establish their identity and to trace their family history.”

“The majority of submissions supported the basic principles underpinning access to BDM records, which aim to balance the public interest, individual privacy rights, and the protection of at-risk individuals.

“But it was also evident that users’ expectations about how they want to access BDM information have changed since the current rules were introduced in 2009.

“New Zealanders want to be able interact easily with government in a digital environment, and that is what the recommendations in my report will enable”, says Mr Dunne.

The next step will be to draft a Bill to amend the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995.

“As part of the process, I have asked the Department of Internal Affairs to consider what otheramendments could be made alongside the changes to the access provisions to help future-proof the Act to support future service enhancements for all BDM services, not just access to BDM information.

“The public will be able to make a submission on the bill, including amendments to remove legislative barriers to digital and online services, as part of the usual select committee process,” says Mr Dunne.

All papers related to the review, including submissions received, and the report and the related Cabinet paper can be accessed on the Department of Internal Affairs website:www.dia.govt.nz/bdmreview.

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