1 Title
2 Commencement
3 Principal Act
4 Section 21A amended (Application for registration of name change)
The Parliament of New Zealand enacts as follows:
This Act is the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Act 2015.
This Act comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.
This Act amends the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995 (the principal Act).
(1) Replace section 21A(2) with:
“(2) A person applying for registration of a name change must—“(a) complete the standard form and provide it to the Registrar-General; and“(b) pay the prescribed fee (if any); and“(c) deposit 1 of the following with the Registrar-General:“(i) a statutory declaration made, in accordance with subsection (3), by an eligible person or the guardian of an eligible person (accompanied by the eligible person’s written consent if the eligible person is 16 years of age or older and the application was made by the eligible person’s guardian); or“(ii) a deed poll executed before 1 September 1995, evidencing any change in the eligible person’s names; or“(iii) a copy of a deed poll executed and filed in an office of the High Court before 1 September 1995 and certified by a Registrar of the court in which it was filed.”
“(2) A person applying for registration of a name change must—
“(a) complete the standard form and provide it to the Registrar-General; and
“(b) pay the prescribed fee (if any); and
“(c) deposit 1 of the following with the Registrar-General:
“(i) a statutory declaration made, in accordance with subsection (3), by an eligible person or the guardian of an eligible person (accompanied by the eligible person’s written consent if the eligible person is 16 years of age or older and the application was made by the eligible person’s guardian); or
“(ii) a deed poll executed before 1 September 1995, evidencing any change in the eligible person’s names; or
“(iii) a copy of a deed poll executed and filed in an office of the High Court before 1 September 1995 and certified by a Registrar of the court in which it was filed.”
(2) In section 21A(3), replace “subsection (2)(a)” with “subsection (2)(c)(i)”.
“subsection (2)(a)”
“subsection (2)(c)(i)”
(3) After section 21A(3), insert:
“(3A) The Registrar-General may require a person before whom the statutory declaration referred to in subsection (2)(c)(i) is made—“(a) to verify the identity of the eligible person or the guardian of the eligible person, or both, in a manner specified by the Registrar-General; and“(b) to state whether he or she is satisfied of the identity of the eligible person or the guardian of the eligible person, or both.”
“(3A) The Registrar-General may require a person before whom the statutory declaration referred to in subsection (2)(c)(i) is made—
“(a) to verify the identity of the eligible person or the guardian of the eligible person, or both, in a manner specified by the Registrar-General; and
“(b) to state whether he or she is satisfied of the identity of the eligible person or the guardian of the eligible person, or both.”
(4) In section 21A(4), replace “deposited with” with “provided to”.
“deposited with”
“provided to”
(5) After section 21A(4), insert:
“(4A) The Registrar-General may require a person applying for registration of a name change to provide, with the standard form referred to in subsection (2)(a) or separately, any means of identification that is reasonably necessary to confirm the identity of the eligible person or the guardian of the eligible person, or both.”
(6) In section 21A(5), replace “deposited under subsection (4)” with “provided under subsection (4) or (4A)”.
“deposited under subsection (4)”
“provided under subsection (4) or (4A)”
This Act is administered by the Department of Internal Affairs.