Find a sperm or egg donor or a donor-conceived child
The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (HART) Register is a record of people conceived from sperm or egg donations made at a New Zealand fertility clinic, and their donors.
Overview
The HART Register can help donor-conceived people to:
- learn about their genetic origins
- get in contact with their donor or donors, if all parties agree.
Donors can ask for the names of any children born from their donation, but the child must be 18 or over and give permission.
There are 2 types of records:
- Mandatory registrations — for any donations made at a fertility clinic on or after 22 August 2005 that result in a birth.
- Voluntary registrations — for donations made before 22 August 2005 that result in a birth.
Mandatory registrations — donations on or after 22 August 2005
Any donations made at a fertility clinic on or after 22 August 2005 that result in a birth are required to be included on the mandatory register. Fertility clinics provide details of the donor, the donor-conceived child and the child’s parents.
The mandatory register includes:
- the child’s name, sex, and date and place of birth
- their parents’ names and address
- the donor’s name, address, and date and place of birth.
After 50 years — or if the clinic goes out of business — fertility clinics must give Births, Deaths and Marriages more detailed information about the donor and the donor-conceived child, including family history and cultural affiliations, for inclusion on the HART Register.
Voluntary registrations — donations before 22 August 2005
For donations made before 22 August 2005, donors and donor-conceived people can choose to give their details to the voluntary register.
The voluntary register only includes the details they choose to provide.
Births, Deaths and Marriages cannot register details from a family member or friend of a donor or donor-conceived person. The information must be registered by the person themselves.
What the HART Register does not include
The HART Register does not record information about:
- donations made outside New Zealand
- donations made outside a fertility clinic — sometimes called ‘informal’ donations
- donations which did not result in a birth
- children of the donor who were not donor-conceived.
Add or update your details on the register
If you would like to add or update your details on the HART Register, complete the appropriate form below.
Post the form to:
HART Team
Births, Deaths & Marriages
PO Box 10526
Wellington 6143
Who can access information on the register
You can access information on the HART Register if:
- you are named on the register and you are aged 18 or over
- you are a parent or guardian of a donor-conceived child who is aged 17 or under.
If you would like, you can choose to appoint someone else to access this information for you.
If you are a 16 or 17-year-old donor-conceived child
You can apply to the Family Court to be treated as though you are 18.
This lets you:
- provide information for inclusion on the register
- apply to access identifying information about your donor, or people who share your donor.
Otherwise, your parent or guardian can apply for you.
If you are a medical practitioner
Medical practitioners who can prove they need information from the HART Register to provide medical treatment or advice can get full access to someone's registered records.
Before any information can be released, 2 additional medical practitioners must sign the application.
What you can find out
Donors, donor-conceived people or their parents or guardians can:
- contact the fertility clinic directly for information, if it is known, or
- apply to the HART Register for information, which will include details about the clinic.
For donations made on after 22 August 2005, the fertility clinic will have more details about the donor than the HART Register.
Information held by the register and fertility clinics
The HART Register and fertility clinics both hold the following information about donor-conceived people and their donors:
- the date and place of the child’s birth
- the child’s sex and name
- the names and addresses of the child’s parents
- the donor’s name, address, and date and place of birth
- the clinic where the donation happened.
You can also check information about yourself held by the HART Register, and find out about any other people who were conceived from the same donor — as long as each party has consented. You cannot find out information about any genetic siblings who were not donor-conceived.
Information held only by fertility clinics
Fertility clinics hold additional information to what is on the HART Register. Clinics must give this information to the HART Register 50 years after a child’s birth.
Clinics record the donor’s:
- height
- eye and hair colour
- ethnicity and any relevant cultural affiliation
- whanau, hapu, and iwi – if the donor is Māori, and to the extent that the donor is aware of those affiliations
- reasons for donating
- medical history, if it is significant.
Clinics may also record the medical history of the donor’s parents, grandparents, siblings and children.
How to apply for information on the register
If the donation was made on or before 22 April 2005, you first need to apply to find out if your donor or donor-conceived child’s details are recorded.
Once you receive this confirmation, you can apply for a printout of all recorded, unrestricted information.
If the donation happened after on or after 22 April 2005, or if you have received a notification that a donor or donor-conceived person linked to you has registered, you can apply directly for a printout of the recorded information — as long as consent has been given.
It costs:
- $15.30 for confirmation that information about a donor or donor-conceived person is held
- $40.80 for both a confirmation and a printout of the information.
You may want to talk to a counsellor before you apply for this information.
Donors
Donors must complete both 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-conceived people
Donor-conceived people or their parents or guardians must complete both 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 use a lawyer
If you are getting someone else – like a lawyer – to access the information for you, you need to complete this form:
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)
Provide or cancel consent
If you are a donor or donor-conceived person and you want to provide – or cancel – your consent to the release of identifying information from the HART Register, you must complete this form:
Access to and Disclosure of Identifying Information BDM406 (PDF 480KB)
Access to and Disclosure of Identifying Information BDM406 accessible alternative (TXT 12KB)
Where to send your form
Post the appropriate form to:
HART Team
Births, Deaths & Marriages
PO Box 10526
Wellington 6143
What happens next
If information about your donor or donor-conceived child is not available on the HART Register, contact the clinic that provided the original fertility treatment.
They may be able to give you information about your donor or donor-conceived child, if they have given their consent.