Search historical birth, death and marriage records

To find your whakapapa (genealogy), you can search old birth, death and marriage records.

What you can search online

You can search for:

  • births that occurred at least 100 years ago
  • stillbirths that occurred at least 50 years ago
  • marriages that occurred 80 years ago
  • deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago or the deceased’s date of birth was at least 80 years ago.

Search and order

You can search and order online:

Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records

You can order by phone or in person from a Births, Deaths and Marriages office:

Contact Births, Deaths and Marriages

New Zealand birth, death, marriage, civil union and name change certificates are public records. In most cases, they can be ordered by anyone.

What you can order

You can get:

  • a printout — a typed or handwritten copy of the information. It usually has more information than a certificate. It's the best option for family research
  • a certificate — an official document.

A printout can be emailed to you. A certificate must be posted, or given to you in person if you order it at a Births, Deaths and Marriages office.

Get help

If you do not know the year of the birth, death, civil union, marriage or name change, you can pay for help.

Help with searching historical records

Find overseas records

Contact the embassy of the country where the person was born or died.

Embassies

Utility links and page information

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