Information Collection Practices of the Registrar-General

Information Collection Practices of the Citizenship and Passport Offices

Information Disclosures

Approved Information Sharing Agreements

See: Information Sharing

Authorised Disclosures by the Registrar-General

• Status of Children Act 1969 (section 9 authorises the issue of duplicates or copies of Instruments of Acknowledgement on payment of the prescribed fee)
• Veterinarians Act 2005 (section 17 requires that information of the death of a veterinarian be made available to the Council)
• Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2004 (section 50 authorises disclosure of donor details to offspring)
• Social Workers Registration Act 2003 (section 128 requires that information of the death of a social worker be provided to the Registrar)
• Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (section 143 requires that information of the death of a health practitioner to the Registrar)
• Electoral Act 1993 (sections 92, 93 & 94 requires that the Chief Registrar of Electors be informed of the marriage and/or death and/or change of name of registered electors.
• Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) 2016 (section 43 authorises disclosure of Child Sex Offender details)
• The Registrar-General may disclose name change and death information to overseas authorities if the person’s birth is registered in that country. Currently this applies to person’s whose births are registered in New South Wales, Australia; and the Cook Islands, and Niue.
• New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 (Schedule 5 authorises the disclosure of information relevant to the performance by the committee of any of its functions)
• Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 (Section 66 authorises the disclosure of information required to determine whether a child or young person is in need of care or protection or assistance, or for the purposes of related proceedings)
• Tax Administration Act 1994 (Section 17B authorises the disclosure of information relating to the administration or enforcement of an Inland Revenue Act)

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Who	What	Why
Accident Compensation Corporation	Birth information and name change information	To verify the identity of a claimant, and a claimant's eligibility or continuing eligibility for a benefit.
	Marriage information, civil union information and name change information	To verify a claimant's change of name.
	Death information	To identify deceased claimants.
Board of Trustees of the National Provident Fund	Birth information, marriage information, civil union information, name change information and death information	To verify the identity of a member or beneficiary of the National Provident Fund, and the eligibility of a member or beneficiary for payments under the fund.
New Zealand Police	Birth information	To verify identity information for law enforcement purposes.
Department of Internal Affairs	Birth information, marriage information, civil union information, name change information and death information	(1) To verify whether a person is eligible to hold a New Zealand passport. (2) To verify whether a person is eligible for New Zealand citizenship. (3) To issue and maintain accurate Electronic Identity Credentials.
Department of Inland Revenue	Birth information, marriage information, civil union information and name change name information	(1) To verify the identity of a person to establish the tax file number of the person. (2) To verify the identity of a person to establish the details of an applicant for child support.
	Death information	To identify deceased taxpayers and verify their details.
New Zealand Transport Agency	Birth information and name change information	To verify details supplied by an applicant for a driver licence.
	Marriage information and civil union information	To verify the change of name of the holder of a driver licence.
	Death information	To identify deceased holders of driver licences.
Immigration NZ (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)	Birth information and name change information	(1) To verify a person's citizenship status. (2) To verify a person's entitlement to reside in New Zealand. (3) Update and verify immigration records.
	Marriage information and civil union information	To verify the marriage or civil union of a person to a New Zealand citizen.
	Death information	To identify deceased holders of limited term permits or visas.
Government Superannuation Fund Authority	Birth information, marriage information, civil union information, name change information and death information	To verify the identity of member or beneficiary of the Government Superannuation Fund, and the eligibility or continuing eligibility of a member or beneficiary for payments under the fund.
Ministry of Education	Birth information, name change information and death information	To verify and update student information on the National Student Index.
Ministry of Health	Birth information, name change information and death information	To verify and update health information on the National Health Index
	Birth information and death information	To compile mortality statistics
Ministry of Justice	Marriage information and civil union information	To verify a fine defaulter's change of name.
	Death information	(1) To remove the names of deceased persons from jury lists. (2) To remit or enforce payment of fines owed by deceased persons.
Ministry of Justice (Maori Land Court Unit)	Death information	To identify deceased Maori landowners.
Ministry of Social Development	Birth information, marriage information, civil union information, name change information and death information	(1) To verify a person's eligibility or continuing eligibility for benefits, war pensions, grants, loans, or allowances. (2) To verify a person's eligibility or continuing eligibility for a community services card or a card the availability of which is based principally on age or residence of a person, or of his or her spouse or civil union partner, or former spouse or civil union partner. (3) To identify debtors, including any person no longer in receipt of a benefit, war pension, grant, loan, or allowance.

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• Passport
• Certificate of Identity
• Emergency Travel Document
• Refugee Travel Document

(a) identifying persons who are qualified to apply to register as an elector but who have not yet registered; and
(b) encouraging those persons identified to register as an elector; and
(c) updating and ensuring the accuracy of the particulars of persons whose names are on the roll

(a) the person’s full name
(b) the person’s date of birth
(c) the person’s address of residence (if known)
(d) the person’s postal address (if known and if different from the address of residence in paragraph (c))
(e) the person’s preferred honorific (if known)
(f) the date at which the information in paragraphs (a) to (e) held by the agency was last provided to the agency.

(a) whose identifying particulars have been taken under section 32 or 33 of the Policing Act 2008
(b) whose identifying particulars have been taken under section 11 of the Returning Offenders (Management and Information) Act 2015
(c) who has breached, has attempted to breach, or is preparing to breach a condition of any sentence, or order imposed under any enactment, that the person not leave New Zealand.

(a) monitoring the whereabouts of the offender
(b) verifying personal information reported by the offender
(c) managing the risk that the Offender may commit further sexual offences against children
(d) managing any risk or threat to public safety.

(a) the purpose of the agreement; and
(b) the information that can be disclosed; and
(c) the method and form of the disclosure; and
(d) the use the other party will make of the information; and
(e) the conditions under which the other party may disclose the information.

• The holder's full name
• The holder's date of birth
• The holder's sex
• The holder's eye colour
• The holder's height
• The holder's endorsements (if any)
• The photograph of the holder
• The place of birth of the holder
• The document type
• The passports database key number
• The passport or document number
• The date of issue of the passport or document
• The date of expiry of the passport or document
• The place of issue of the passport or document
• The status of the passport or document
• Any other information relating to a New Zealand travel document

• aid border security
• facilitate the processing of passengers
• verify the identity of a holder of a travel document
• determine whether a person is a New Zealand citizen
• as otherwise required or authorised by law.

• New Zealand Customs Service
• New Zealand Department of Labour
• Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship
• Australian Customs Service
• US Department of Homeland Security (only when a person travels to the United States)
• New Zealand Police for Interpol (only details of documents reported lost, stolen or otherwise invalid)

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Requesting personal information

Entitlement

• obtain confirmation whether or not an agency holds personal information about them
• obtain access to that information

We may extend the time allowed for a reply because of the volume or complexity of an individual request. If such an extension is required, we will tell you within 20 days of getting your application.

Refusing Access
The Privacy Act provides for the Department of Internal Affairs to not disclose material in certain circumstances. If this is done we will tell you why.

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• Privacy letter request template (word doc. 16kb)
• Privacy letter request template (rtf 4.6kb)

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Data Protection Methods

Registrar-General’s Data Protection Methods

• loss
• access
• use
• modification
• disclosure (except with the authority of the agency that holds the information)
• other misuse.

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Citizenship Data Protection Methods

• loss
• access
• use
• modification
• disclosure (except with the authority of the agency that holds the information)
• other misuse.

Archived Citizenship Records
All paper based citizenship application files from 1948 to 1988 are held by Archives New Zealand. Applications received since 1988 are stored in a secure off site location. There are no plans to destroy any of these records.

Electronic Citizenship Records
Since 1998 electronic application files have been held within the Citizenship Computerised System and since 2005 in the Determinations Computerised System (for citizenships by descent, 1948 residence claims, claims for Britons married to New Zealanders prior to 1949 and denials and renunciations). Both systems are operated within the bounds of the Department of Internal Affairs secure network. Citizenship registers from 1948 to the present are also held in computerised form.

How to Contact Us
For more information about our privacy policy follow the links provided or Contact Us.

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Passport Data Protection Methods

• loss
• access
• use
• modification
• disclosure (except with the authority of the agency that holds the information)
• other misuse

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Making a Privacy Act Complaint

Who can make a Privacy Act complaint?

• you have not received a decision about your request (but you need to allow 20 working days);
• your request has been declined in full or in part;
• you have not been given access in the manner you preferred;
• you disagree with a charge which has been imposed by the agency;
• the agency has imposed conditions on how you may use, communicate or publish the information you requested;
• the agency has extended the time limit for responding to you;
• the agency has refused to correct personal information.

The Privacy Officer
Department of Internal Affairs
PO Box 805
Wellington 6140

Or Email: Privacy@dia.govt.nz

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

You can complain by writing to:

The Privacy Commissioner
P O Box 10-094 The Terrace
WELLINGTON 6143

What you should say

• your name and contact details
• a brief description of the action complained about;
• relevant dates;
• the name and address of the agency complained about (and the names of any people within the agency who have been involved with your complaint); and
• copies of relevant correspondence.