Finding a child or parent on the sperm and egg donor list

The HART register lets people conceived from sperm, egg or embryo donation find out about their genetic origins, and meet their donor, if both parties agree. Donors can ask to find out the name of any children born from their donation, but the child has to be 18 or older and give permission.

You might want to talk to a counsellor before you apply for this information.

There are 2 registers:

1. the mandatory register — for any donations made at a fertility clinic after 22 August 2005 that result in a birth
2. the voluntary register — for donations made before 22 August 2005 that result in a birth.

Mandatory register — donations after 22 August 2005

Any donations made at a fertility clinic after 22 August 2005 that result in a birth are automatically included on the mandatory register. Fertility clinics provide details of the donor, the donor offspring and the child’s guardian for inclusion.

The mandatory register includes:

• the donor’s name, address and date and place of birth
• the offspring’s name, gender and date and place of birth, and
• the guardian’s name and address.

After 50 years (or if the clinic goes out of business), fertility clinics will give Births, Deaths and Marriages more detailed information about the donor and offspring, including family history and cultural affiliations.

Voluntary register — donations before 22 August 2005

For donations made before 22 August 2005, people can choose whether or not to provide their details for the voluntary register.

The voluntary register includes only the details that the donor or donor offspring choose to supply.

Generally only the people named on the register (once they’re over 18), or guardians of donor offspring aged under 18, can access the information on the HART register. You can also appoint a lawyer to access your information for you.

Donor offspring

As long as Births, Deaths and Marriages has the information, and you’re eligible to access it, you can find out your donor’s:

• personal details, including name, address and birthday
• physical attributes
• family history
• ethnicity
• cultural affiliation.

If the donor is Māori, you may be able to find out their whānau, hapū and iwi affiliations.

You can also check information about yourself held by Births, Deaths and Marriages, and find out about any other donor offspring who were conceived from the same donor, as long as each party has consented.

Donors

As long as Births, Deaths and Marriages has the information, and you’re eligible to access it, you can find out your donor offspring’s:

• personal details, including name, address and birthday
• physical attributes
• family history
• ethnicity
• cultural affiliation.

If the donation happened before 22 April 2005, you need to first apply to find out if your donor or donor offspring’s details are held. When you receive confirmation that they are, you can apply for a printout of any recorded, unrestricted information.

If the donation happened after 22 April 2005, or if you’ve received a notification from Births, Deaths and Marriages that a donor or donor offspring linked to you has registered, you can apply directly for a printout of the recorded information (as long as Births, Deaths and Marriages has consent to disclose the information).

It costs:

• $15.30 for confirmation that information about a donor or donor offspring is held
• $40.80 for a printout of that information.

Donors need to complete the application form and the General Identity Declaration form:

Application by Donor to Access Information Held on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Register BDM 403 (PDF 43KB) 

Application by Donor to Access Information Held on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Register BDM 403 accessible alternative (TXT 2.6KB)

General Identity Declaration BDM130 (PDF 2.3MB)

General Identity Declaration BDM 130 accessible alternative (TXT 2.8KB)

Donor offspring or their guardians need to complete the application form and the General Identity Declaration form:

Application by Donor Offspring (or Guardian) to Access Information Held on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Register BDM 404 (PDF 46KB)

Application by Donor Offspring (or Guardian) to Access Information Held on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Register BDM 404 accessible alternative (TXT 3.3KB)

General Identity Declaration BDM 130 (PDF 233KB)

General Identity Declaration BDM 130 accessible alternative (TXT 2.8KB)

If you’re getting someone else, like a lawyer, to access the information for you, you need to complete:

Authorisation for Disclosure of Information to Agent BDM 405 (PDF 27KB)

Authorisation for Disclosure of Information to Agent BDM 405 accessible alternative (TXT 0.8KB)

If the donor or donor offspring want to provide their consent, or cancel their consent, to the release of identifying information from the register, they need to complete:

Access to and Disclosure of Identifying Information BDM406 (PDF 480KB)

Access to and Disclosure of Identifying Information BDM406 accessbile alternative (TXT 12KB)

Send the forms to:

HART Team
Births, Deaths & Marriages (HART)
PO Box 10526
Wellington 6143

If information about your donor isn’t available on the register, contact the fertility clinic that provided the original fertility treatment. They may be able to provide you with information, depending on whether the donor consented to the disclosure of their information when they made their donations.