Congratulatory messages
You can get a free congratulatory message for significant birthdays and wedding anniversaries from the King and New Zealand dignitaries.
Overview
- Congratulatory messages for significant birthdays and wedding anniversaries is a free service for all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who live in New Zealand.
- Who you get a congratulatory message from depends on the event you’re celebrating.
- If you were born or married overseas, we will ask you to submit supporting documents, if you have them.
- The period you can apply for a congratulatory message is from 3 months before the event to 6 months after the event.
- To receive a congratulatory message for an event being celebrated in January, apply by 7 December at the latest.
- Congratulatory messages are sent by post 10 days before the birthday or wedding anniversary but you can ask for them to be sent earlier.
- To change or cancel your application, contact the Congratulatory Message Service team.
What you can get a congratulatory message for
All New Zealand citizens and permanent residents can get a congratulatory message for:
- birthdays of 100 years and over
- wedding anniversaries — 50th, 55th, 60th, 65th, 70th and over.
Who the messages are from
Who you get a congratulatory message from depends on what you’re celebrating.
Birthday — 100 years
A congratulatory message will be sent from:
- His Majesty the King
- Her Excellency the Governor-General
- the Prime Minister
- the Minister for Seniors
- your local Member of Parliament.
The person celebrating their birthday can also choose to get a message from the Mayor if they live in:
- Ashburton
- Central Otago
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Hastings
- Hamilton
- Hutt City
- Manawatu
- Marlborough
- Masterton
- Porirua
- Rangitikei
- Selwyn
- Southland
- Tararua
- Tasman
- Tauranga
- Upper Hutt
- Waimakariri
- Waimate
- Waitaki
- Westland.
Late application
If you miss the application window for a 100th birthday, contact the Congratulatory Messages team and they will make sure the person receives the King’s message on their 101st birthday.
Birthday — 101 to 104 years
A congratulatory message will be sent from:
- the Prime Minister
- the Minister for Seniors
- your local Member of Parliament.
The person celebrating their birthday can also choose to get a message from the Mayor if they live in:
- Ashburton
- Central Otago
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Hutt City
- Manawatu
- Marlborough
- Masterton
- Porirua
- Rangitikei
- Selwyn
- Southland
- Tararua
- Tasman
- Tauranga
- Upper Hutt
- Waimakariri
- Waimate
- Waitaki
- Westland.
Birthday — 105 years and over
A congratulatory message will be sent from:
- His Majesty the King
- Her Excellency the Governor-General
- the Prime Minister
- the Minister for Seniors
- your local Member of Parliament.
The person celebrating their birthday can also choose to get a message from the Mayor if they live in:
- Ashburton
- Central Otago
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Hutt City
- Manawatu
- Marlborough
- Masterton
- Porirua
- Rangitikei
- Selwyn
- Southland
- Tararua
- Tasman
- Tauranga
- Upper Hutt
- Waimakariri
- Waimate
- Waitaki
- Westland.
Late application
If you miss the application window for a 105th birthday, contact the Congratulatory Messages team and they will make sure the person receives the King’s message on their 106th birthday.
Wedding anniversary — 50th
A congratulatory message will be sent from:
- Her Excellency the Governor-General
- the Prime Minister
- the Minister for Seniors
- your local Member of Parliament.
The couple celebrating their anniversary can also choose to get a message from the Mayor if they live in:
- Ashburton
- Central Otago
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Hutt City
- Manawatu
- Marlborough
- Masterton
- Porirua
- Rangitikei
- Selwyn
- Southland
- Tararua
- Tasman
- Tauranga
- Upper Hutt
- Waimakariri
- Waimate
- Waitaki
- Westland.
Wedding anniversary — 55th
A congratulatory message will be sent from:
- the Prime Minister
- the Minister for Seniors
- your local Member of Parliament.
The couple celebrating their anniversary can also choose to get a message from the Mayor if they live in:
- Ashburton
- Central Otago
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Hutt City
- Manawatu
- Marlborough
- Masterton
- Otago
- Porirua
- Rangitikei
- Selwyn
- Southland
- Tararua
- Tasman
- Tauranga
- Upper Hutt
- Waimakariri
- Waimate
- Waitaki
- Westland.
Wedding anniversary — 60th, 65th, 70th and over
A congratulatory message will be sent from:
- His Majesty the King
- Her Excellency the Governor-General
- the Prime Minister
- the Minister for Seniors
- your local Member of Parliament.
The couple celebrating their anniversary can also choose to get a message from the Mayor if they live in:
- Ashburton
- Central Otago
- Christchurch
- Dunedin
- Hamilton
- Hutt City
- Manawatu
- Marlborough
- Masterton
- Porirua
- Rangitikei
- Selwyn
- Southland
- Tararua
- Tasman
- Tauranga
- Upper Hutt
- Waimakariri
- Waimate
- Waitaki
- Westland.
Late application
If you miss the application window for a 60th, 65th, or 70th wedding anniversary (or any anniversary after a 70th), contact the Congratulatory Messages team and they will make sure the person receives the King’s message on their next anniversary.
When you can apply — ‘application window’
You can apply for congratulatory messages:
- no earlier than 3 months before the event
- no later than 6 months after the event.
Timelines to be aware of
- If the event is in January, you should apply no later than 7 December.
- If the application is received less than 2 weeks before the anniversary, the congratulatory message may not be able to be sent in time for the event.
Information you need to provide
You need the following information:
- date of the birth or wedding
- location of the birth or wedding — whether it was in New Zealand or outside New Zealand (if it was outside New Zealand, we’ll ask you to provide a copy of the birth or marriage certificate, if possible)
- full names of the person or couple, as they appear on their birth or marriage certificate
- preferred names of the person or couple celebrating the event
- current address for the person or couple celebrating the event, including their electorate — the voting area they live in.
Who sees the information in the form
The information you enter in the form will only be shared with the people who are part of providing this service. This includes:
- staff at the Department of Internal Affairs who administer the congratulatory message service
- Her Excellency the Governor-General
- the Minister for Seniors
- members of Parliament
- the mayors of some cities.
Apply for a congratulatory message
You need to apply to get a congratulatory message. The person or couple celebrating the event can apply, or someone can apply for them.
Messages are posted to the person or couple 10 days before their birthday or wedding anniversary.
Apply online
Fill out and submit the online form.
Apply by post
If you prefer to apply by post, contact the Congratulatory Message Service team who can email or post you a PDF of the printed form.
What happens next
The Congratulatory Message Service team checks that your application is complete.
You may be contacted to confirm that all details are correct.
Approved applications are sent for processing and then the congratulatory messages are posted.
When the message will be posted
The congratulatory message will be posted to the person or couple 10 days before their birthday or wedding anniversary, unless you asked for an earlier date.
Changing or cancelling your application
If you need to change or cancel the application, contact the Congratulatory Message Service as soon as possible.
Contact
Congratulatory Message Service team
Email: congrat@dia.govt.nz
Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)
Phone: +64 9 339 0852 (outside New Zealand)
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