Births Data Collection

Under the provisions of the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995, every birth occurring in New Zealand must be registered. By law, both parents of a child born in New Zealand must jointly notify Births, Deaths and Marriages (a division of the Department of Internal Affairs). Online birth registration is completed via the Smart Start webpage (https://smartstart.services.govt.nz/) or a birth registration form (BDM27) is filled in and sent as soon as is reasonably practicable after the birth (deemed by the Registar-General as generally being within two months of the birth). Stats NZ receives a monthly electronic file of registered births from Births, Deaths and Marriages which includes some but not all of the information collected on the birth registration. Stats NZ has the responsibility for processing and publishing birth statistics derived from the birth registrations. Stats NZ does not code all of the information supplied by Internal Affairs. Birth data are published quarterly and unless otherwise stated refer to births by date of registration not the date of birth. To June 1998 Up until the end of December 1997, information from the BDM9 and BDM27 was sent to Stats NZ from the 74 registration offices located around New Zealand. The information was supplied in paper forms in monthly batches. From January 1998 to June 1998 Births, Deaths, and Marriages computerised the vitals collection system from 1 January. Births, Deaths, and Marriages continued to supply the paper forms up to June 1998. From July 1998 From 1 July 1998 onwards Births, Deaths, and Marriages supplied Stats NZ with an electronic copy of the birth registration record. From this record Statistics NZ codes responses to standard statistical classifications. Stats NZ receives a monthly electronic file of birth registrations from Births, Deaths and Marriages. Stats NZ is responsible for processing and publishing birth statistics derived from the birth registrations. Birth data are published quarterly and unless otherwise stated refers to births by date of registration not the date of birth. Requirements from the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 1995 (i) Preliminary notice of birth (Section 5A) (1) A preliminary notice must be given in accordance with this section for each birth in New Zealand. (2) If a birth takes place during or immediately before the mother's admission to hospital, the occupier of the hospital must give the preliminary notice. (3) If a birth does not take place during or immediately before the mother's admission to hospital, the preliminary notice must be given by— (a) a doctor, if he or she is present at the birth; or (b) a midwife, if he or she is present at the birth but a doctor is not present; or (c) the occupier of premises where the birth takes place or where the mother is admitted immediately after the birth, if neither a doctor nor a midwife is present. (4) A preliminary notice is given by completing, signing, and giving the standard form preliminary notice to a Registrar within 5 working days after the birth. (5) The Registrar-General must notify the Director-General of Health of all still-births for which a preliminary notice has been given. (ii) Registration of Birth Notified Late (Section 16) No Registrar other than the Registrar-General shall register a birth notified more than 2 years after the birth. Every live birth and stillbirth must be notified to a registrar by the hospital, doctor or midwife within 5 working days of the birth. A ‘birth notice’ (BDM9) or ‘birth schedule’ (BDM9A) includes the mother’s contact details, length of gestation and the baby’s weight. By law, both parents of a child born in New Zealand must jointly notify Births, Deaths, and Marriages (a division of the Department of Internal Affairs), as soon as is reasonably practicable after the birth (deemed by the Registrar-General as generally being within two months of the birth). However, a registrar can register a child up to 2 years after their birth. After 2 years the birth can only be registered by the Registrar-General (this is known as a ‘late birth’ or ‘section 16’ birth). Online registration or a 'Notification of Birth for Registration' form (BDM27) must be completed (generally by the parents) and forwarded to the registrars at Births, Deaths and Marriages. Information from the BDM27 is then matched with information from the BDM9 form. If no BDM27 form is received, Births, Deaths and Marriages sends out a reminder notice based on the information from the BDM9. Between 2006 and 2008, there were an average of around 800 late registrations per year (roughly 1 percent of live births). About one-half of the late registrations were registered within 4 years of birth and about nine out of ten within eight years of birth. en-NZ