Ngā mahi nui o te ora

Life events

Content warning

Archives can contain sensitive content that may be distressing. Some items may depict or describe injuries, disease and deaths. Take care when accessing them.

Duplicate marriage registers

There are a few duplicate holdings of district Notices of Intention to Marry Registers.

Records in Auckland

Coromandel Wardens Court:

• Coromandel Registration District Certificates (including births and deaths papers) 1869 to 1871(1879) [AAAE 15169 1 R20322368].

Gisborne Supreme Court:

• Intention to Marry Notice Registers 1856 to 1956 [BAJI 1859]

• Intention to Marry Notice Registers [card index to 1930] 1856 to 1956 [BAJI 1859].

Records in Wellington

Notices of Intention to Marry:

• Marriage Notice Books Dannevirke 1885 to 1956 (link to book 9 — search books 10 to 33 individually on Collections search) [ABPQ 27633 9 1 R11908078]

• Marriage Notice Books Norsewood 1874 to 1955 [ABPQ 27652 3 R11908084, ABPQ 27652 4 R11908083, ABPQ 27652 5 R11908082 and ABPQ 27652 6 R11908081]

• Marriage Notice Books Pongaroa 1903 to 1956 [ABPQ 27653 7 R11908080 and ABPQ 27653 8 R11908079]

• Marriage Notice Book Wainui 1885 to 1933 [ABPQ 27650 1 R11908086]

• Marriage Notice Book Weber 1897 to 1951 [ABPQ 27651 2 R11908085]

• Napier Magistrates Court

• Marriage Notice Books 1855 to 1944 (link to book 150 — search books 151 to197 individually on Collections search) [AAOW 27694 150 R1976165]

• Marriage Notice Book Porongahau 1865 to 1876 [AAOW 27695 235 R1976250].

Records in Christchurch

Christchurch Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages:

• Akaroa Intentions to Marry 1855 to 1874 [CAYC 3294 1 R16953419]

• Kaiapoi Marriage Notice Books 1947 to 1956 [CAYC 3295 1 R16953418 and [CAYC 3295 1 R16953417]

• Little River Marriage Notice Book 1918 to 1937 [CAYC 3296 1 R16953416]

• Ellesmere Marriage Notice Book 1871 to 1876 [CAYC 3297 1 R16953415].

Cust Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages:

• Registers of Intention to Marry 1878 to 1969 [CAHP 23335 251 to 254].

Rangiora Magistrate’s Court

• Registers of Intentions to Marry 1861 to 1956 [CAHP 2211 95 to 118].

Timaru Supreme/High Court

• Timaru Marriage Notice Books 1859 to 1956 [CAHY CH24 293 to 355]

• Mt Cook/Fairlie Marriage Notice Books 1875 to 1956 [CAHY CH648 25 to 31]

• Pleasant Point Marriage Notice Books 1897 to 1956 [CAHY CH648 32 to 36]

• Waimate Marriage Notice Books 1869 to 1990 [CAHY CH648 1 to 24].

Waimangaroa Magistrate’s Court:

• Marriage Notice Books 1894 to 1964 [CAIS CH62 142 to 145].

Other places to look for marriage records

We also have the following marriage records.

• Microfilm copies of early Church of England Registers of Marriages (1823 onwards) for the Bay of Islands and Kāpiti-Manawatu areas are held in Wellington [ADFD MICRO 2792-279].

• The Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington holds some Notices of Intention to Marry for 1855 [ADAQ 8937 1 to 375].

Divorce records

We have records of some New Zealand divorces up to 1998 — but not all. This is because when a couple gets divorced, their file isn’t transferred to us straight away. The court that created it keeps it for some years.

What divorce files contain

Divorce files contain the legal documentation required for a divorce to be granted. This can include a copy of the Decree Nisi and the Decree Absolute.

A decree nisi is a document that says that the court does not see any reason why a couple cannot divorce. A decree absolute is the legal document that ends a couple’s marriage. Some files may only contain a decree nisi which has been stamped to confirm the finalisation of the divorce.

Divorce files may also contain detailed information about the marriage and people involved, like the:

• petitioner — the person who applied for a divorce

• respondent — the partner who received the divorce request

• co-respondent — a third person involved in a divorce, usually because they committed adultery with the respondent.

This information may include the:

• full names, occupations, addresses and birthplaces of both partners

• date, place and area of the marriage

• name of the minister, registrar or celebrant who married the couple

• names of solicitors

• names of any children and their ages at the time of the petition

• reason for the divorce application and details of any relevant events or behaviour

• documents submitted in evidence, like personal letters, postcards or photographs.

If the divorce took place before 1981

The divorce record you are looking for could be in one of our 4 archives— depending on the regional court the divorce went through. We have archives in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Each archive keeps the records of the region it’s in — so if the couple got divorced in Northland and their file has been transferred to us, it will be in our Auckland archive. The location of each record is included in its Collections search listing.

Start by searching for either person involved in the divorce in Collections search. On the results page, look for items including the names of the couple who got divorced, for example, ‘Smith, Jane v Smith, John’.

Go to Collections search to find divorce files

If you search by name and can’t find the file

Not all our divorce files are listed by name. If the divorce occurred between 1941 and 1981 you can get the number of the divorce file from the National Index of Divorces, which is kept at the High Court in Wellington.

Find contact details for Wellington High Court – justice.govt.nz

Get in touch with us when you have the file number.

If the divorce took place after 1981

Divorce proceedings were moved to the Family Court in 1982, after which divorce files become known as family proceedings files.

If you know the Family Court where the couple’s divorce was processed, contact the court for the family proceedings file. If you’re unsure, contact the Ministry of Justice.

The Family Court can:

• give you the file number

• tell you if the file is held by them, or by us here at Archives New Zealand.

Find contact details for all New Zealand Courts – justice.govt.nz

Tips for searching for divorce records

• It helps to know where and when the divorce took place to identify the relevant court — do not assume it’s where the couple lived before divorce.

• It is possible to verify if a couple were divorced, and where, by obtaining a copy of the marriage certificate. When a divorce is granted, a stamp is placed on the original certificate recording the date and court location of the Decree Absolute. Marriage records are held by the Central Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Department of Internal Affairs.

• In cases where couples reconciled after filing for divorce but then later wished to terminate the marriage, a new file was started with a new number.

• Not everyone who filed a petition for divorce (request to a court for a divorce) completed divorce proceedings to the point of terminating their marriage.

The divorce records we hold in our Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin archives are all listed by the couple’s names in our online Collections search. Family proceedings files are not searchable by name on Collections search.

Search for divorce records in our collections

Accessing divorce files

Access to all divorce files is restricted for 100 years from file closure. Either spouse can access a copy of the order dissolving the marriage with clear proof of identification.

To access a whole restricted divorce file, you must present a letter of permission from the appropriate court. Names of individuals involved in divorces cannot be published without permission from the relevant court.

Another way to find out if and where a couple was divorced is by obtaining a copy of the marriage certificate. When a divorce is granted, a stamp is placed on the original certificate recording the date and court location of the divorce.

Marriage records are held at Births, Deaths and Marriages, Department of Internal Affairs.

Contact Births, Deaths and Marriages for marriage records

Death records

We keep coroners’ inquest reports and probate records that contain information about people’s deaths.

You can find:

• coroners’ files in our Wellington archive

• probate records in our Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and Auckland archives.

Go to Collections search to find death records

You can also search for death certificates on the Births, Deaths and Marriages website, as well as order death certificates (fees apply).

Contact Births, Deaths and Marriages

Coroners’ inquests

A coroner’s inquest is an inquiry into the cause of an unexplained, sudden, or violent death. Drownings are rarely investigated by a coroner. The clearest indication that a coroner’s inquest was held into a death is the comment ‘verdict by jury’ or ‘coroner’s verdict’ on a death certificate.

What coroners’ inquests contain

Coroners’ inquests usually include:

• statements by witnesses

• legal and official documentation

• the coroner’s verdict about the cause of death.

How to find coroners’ inquests

We hold records of existing New Zealand coroners’ inquests from around 1840 to 2000. Our records are incomplete, especially before 1870.

You can find coroners’ inquest reports from 1844 to 2000 by searching for people’s names in Collections search.

From 1844 to 1975, coroners’ inquest reports are also listed by the name of the place the inquest happened.

Go to Collections search to find coroners’ inquests

Requesting access to restricted files

Coroners’ files from 1962 onward are restricted for 50 years from the date of the person’s death.

To get permission to access a restricted file, contact Coronial Services.

Other places to look for coroners’ inquests

The following records are useful if you don’t know the name of the person you are looking for, or you are interested in researching mortality patterns.

• The first coroners’ register book, held in the Wellington reading room lists some coroners’ inquests from 1844 to 1869, but there are gaps [ACGS 16233 1 R25928646].

• Some coroners’ inquests can be located through the Department of Internal Affairs departmental registers for the years 1848 to 1853 [ACGO 8335 IA 3/2/2-7]. Find the files in Internal Affairs Correspondence Files [ACGO 8333 IA 1].

• Some Nelson coroners’ records 1853 to 1860 can be found in the Inwards Letters of the Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages, Nelson, Justice Department [ADDU 16316 JC-N 61/1 and JC-N 61/ 2].

• Coronial files for 1858 to 1888 can be accessed through Justice Department indexes. The lists of coroners’ inquests can be found in a variety of places in the different index volumes [ACGS 16134 J 3/1-10]. The files are located in the Justice Department’s correspondence [ACGS 16211 J 1].

• Coroners’ records for 1888 to 1975 can be found via the alphabetical registers and indexes, but they’re only complete from 1901 [ACGS 16233 J 48/1-21]. Alternatively you can use the Coroner’s record and register books which are mostly in chronological order [ACGS 16232 J 47/1-14].

• Coronial files 1888 to 1920 on microfilm in our Wellington archive [MICRO 5388-5592].

• Coronial files 1963 to 1975 on microfilm in our Wellington archive [MICRO 4907-5018].

• Duplicate coronial files 1963 to 1971 from the Wellington District Court on microfilm. These are listed individually on Collections search (restrictions apply).

Records for deaths without a coroner’s inquest

We have some records of deaths that didn’t generate a coroner’s inquest.

R files

For some deaths, evidence was gathered but no inquest followed. From 1952, these files were recorded as ‘R files’ in the coroners’ indexes. Most have been destroyed, and the surviving records usually only contain the postmortem report and the coroner’s order for burial.

• 1952 to 1960s J 46 Year/R number. Use indexes [ACGS 16233 J 48] to find reference number.

• 1974 to 1977 [AAAR W3605 1 to 13]

• R50.

• The 1976 files are searchable on Collections search.

New Zealand Company

The New Zealand Company was responsible for much of the early settlement of New Zealand during the mid-19th century.

Deaths of New Zealand Company settlers were reported to the company. You can find these people’s names in the General Biographical Index in our Wellington reading room.

Migration deaths

Deaths on immigrant ships to New Zealand were usually recorded in ship passenger lists or in ship’s papers. You can find more information in our Migration research guide.

Read our Migration research guide

Stillborn babies and other deaths – 1935 to 1954 Our Justice Department records include a file called ‘Coroners Reporting Cases of Death (no inquest), for 1935-1954’ – [ACGS 16211 75 1 18/9/30 R11069066 and ACGS 16211 75 2 18/9/30 R110690667].

Drownings - Many drownings were not investigated by a coroner if:

• no body was found

• or the body was found and the circumstances of death were clear.

The Appendices to the Journal of the House of Representatives (AJHR) record most freshwater drownings from 1840 to 1887, whether there was a coroner’s inquest or not. The AJHR are held at the National Library, Wellington.

Explore the AJHR at the National Library

Probate and estate records

Probate records are the legal administration of an estate after the death of a person.

Not everyone who left a will has a probate record. A will was probated if its value was above a certain level set by the government.

If a person died intestate (without making a will) there may be administration letters for the estate in the probate records.

If a person who owned Māori land died between 1894 and 1967, their will was probated at the Māori Land Court.

What probate records contain

Most probate records contain documents that identify the deceased and the executors of the will and provide details about how a person’s estate was to be administered after their death.

For example, you might find documents that include the:

• name of the testator (the person who made the will) or intestate person, place of residence, occupation, exact date of death and death certificate

• person’s last will, names of beneficiaries, their relation to the deceased and the bequest to each

• dates the probate was filed and authorised, executors named in the will and confirmed by the court. If for some reason there was no executor to the will, then the court could appoint an administrator

• net value of the person’s property, and other details relating to the estate

• names of solicitors.

• details of payment of duty (tax).

How to find probate records

We keep probates in each of our 4 archives around the country. Probates are listed by the person’s name in Collections search. The location of the physical record is included in the online listing.

Most probates are held in the archive closest to the court that created them. If a probate was created in the:

• North Island (upper half) — it may be in our Auckland archive

• North Island (lower half), Marlborough or Nelson — it may be in our Wellington archive

• Canterbury or West Coast regions — it may be in our Christchurch archive

• Otago and Southland regions — it may be in our Dunedin archive.

Go to Collections search to find probates.

Probate records over 50 years old

Probate records over 50 years old have been digitised as part of a joint project between Archives New Zealand and FamilySearch. In time, all probate files over 50 years old will be made available online, free of charge, for searching, viewing and printing.

View probate and miscellaneous records 1842 to 1998 on FamilySearch

Other life event records

Birth records

We hold some birth registers, church records and vaccination registers.

Birth registers

The registers we hold in Wellington come from small places, ranging from Ahaura to Wharekahika. Other archives may hold some local registers.

Church records

Our Wellington archive has microfilm copies of some early Church of England Registers of Baptisms (1815 onwards), for the Bay of Islands and Kāpiti-Manawatu [ADFD MICRO 2792 to 2794].

The Alexander Turnbull Library at the National Library has more complete church records and is a good place to research births.

Find church records at the Alexander Turnbull Library

Vaccination registers

Under the Vaccination Act 1863, every child born in New Zealand had to be vaccinated within 6 months of birth. Local birth, death and marriage registrars acted as vaccination inspectors, recording vaccination details or exemptions for all children born in their districts.

We hold vaccination registers from various New Zealand regions – including Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago.

Vaccination Registers are arranged by Register of Births number. Entries give the names of child and parents, the child’s dates of birth and vaccination, and the medical practitioner. Many registers are indexed.

Records in Auckland

Vaccination records held in our Auckland archive include:

• Coromandel Register 1874 to 1888 [BACL 14480 1a R19511181]

• Hikurangi Register 1911 to 191[AC51] [SM52] 5 [ABQU 15417 1a R199146]

• Huntly Register 1894 to 1913 [BAHB 11180 1a R4516631]

• Kuaotunu Register 1894 to 1902 [BACL 27207 6b R25674082]

• Omaha Register 1893 to 1913 [AAAA 24593 1a R23888913]

• Onehunga Registers 1903 to 1916 [AATJ 18110 1a R3094326]

• Owhango Register 1912 to 1917 [BAHH 11124 1a R3674930]

• Te Awamutu Registers 1875 to 1921 [BACZ 24938 20 a to c]

• Waihi Registers 1895 to 1915 [BAFV 13779 1]

• Waihi Vaccination exemption forms 1913 [BAFV 13779 1b R18284957]

• Waipu Register 1874 to 1915 [ABQU 15416 1a R311497].

Records in Wellington

Vaccination records held in our Wellington archive include:

• Ashurst Registers 1896 to 1921 [AAXX 21517 111 to 112]

• Norsewood Registers 1876 to 1913 [ABPQ 27657 100 R11908130 and ABPQ 27657 101 R11908131]

• Wainui Registers 1887 to 1914 [ABPQ W4287/102]

• Weber Registers 1897 to 1903 [ABPQ 27658 102 R11908132]

• Masterton Registers 1873 to 1920 (with gaps) [AAOF 22010 472 and 612]

• MauricevilleRegister 1895 to 1916 [AAOF 22324 472 R18520996]

• Napier Registers 1877 to 1921 [AAOW 27921 252 R18828857, AAOW 27921 253 R18828858 and AAOW 27921 254 R18828859]

• Feilding Registers 1876 to 1919 (with gaps) [ABYD 25166 86 to 89]

• Blenheim Registers 1893 to 1915 [ABYB 21714 188 to 189]

• NelsonRegisters 1874 to 1921 (excluding 1892 to 1893) [AAPP 26319 213 to 214]

• Aorere Register 1907 to 1914 [AAPP 26320 215 R25307762].

Records in Christchurch

Vaccination records held in our Christchurch archive include:

• Charleston Register 1874 to 1910 [CAIF CH446 142 39 R22363909]

• Mt Cook/Fairlie Record Books 1874 to 1917 [CAHY CH648 11 68 R19325425 and CAHY CH648 11 69 R19325426]

• Timaru Registers 1890 to 1918 [CAHY CH24 147 364 R22398373, CAHY CH24 147 364 R22398373 and CAHY CH24 147 366 R22398375]

• Waimangaroa Magistrate’s Court Register 1894 to 1916 [CAIS CH620 6 R20083892].

Records in Dunedin

Vaccination records held in our Dunedin archive include:

• Balclutha Register 1892 to 1921 [DACM 20723 31b R8686158]

• Manuherikia District (Alexandra) Register 1915 to 1920 [DADO 26061 1a R24235064]

• Tokomairiro District Registers 1883 to 1921 [DADT 27055 34 b and c]

• Ophir and Blacks register 1875 to 1915 [AEMN 25522 4 R18736458].

Adoption

We only have a small number of adoption records and access to them is restricted. We recommend contacting the Adoption Information and Services Unit of Oranga Tamariki.

Contact the Adoption Information and Services Unit at Oranga Tamariki

‘Alien’ records

From 1840 to 1949, most people in New Zealand (including Māori) were British subjects/citizens. Non-British were deemed ‘aliens’. Alien index cards and files provide basic life details. For more information, read our Citizenship research guide.

Read our Citizenship research guide

Change of name by deed poll

In the past, many people officially changed their name in New Zealand — often to merge into the largely British community.

This was done by deed poll, a formal record of change of name. Until 31 March 1954, deed polls were entered in a Supreme Court register. We may hold these registers in our archives.

You’ll need to:

• identify the court where the change of name was made

• look for an entry or file number in the corresponding court register.

Accessing deed polls

Deed polls are restricted for 100 years from date of name change.

Name changes before 1954

• Some name changes before 1920 are listed on

  Collections search

• You can also find deed polls in Internal Affairs indexes under ‘Name, Change of’.

• There is one incomplete alphabetical list in the Internal Affairs Index 1913 to 1932

  [ACGO 8335 127 R21909276 page 208 to 209].

• Auckland have listed deed polls (miscellaneous court files) for some courts in the old Auckland region dating 1900 to 1954 and these item lists are available on Collections search. But there are still unlisted deed polls in our Auckland holdings. To discover these items, you’ll need to carry out a register search as described above.

Name changes after 1954

Registers of name changes from 1 April 1954 onwards are held at Births, Deaths and Marriages, Department of Internal Affairs. Most of the files these registers refer to are held in our Wellington archive.

Deed Poll Applications 1981 to 1984 are listed only as ‘deed poll applications’ on Collections search. To find a record, you’ll need the file number from Births, Deaths and Marriages, Department of Internal Affairs.

Contact Births, Deaths and Marriages for Deed Poll Application file numbers

Electoral rolls

You can find the fullest collection of historical electoral rolls in the Family History collection at the National Library in Wellington. You can also search this collection using the Ancestry Library Edition website at the National Library.

Search for electoral rolls on the National Library website

Current electoral rolls are held in our Wellington reading room.

Naturalisation

We hold many records of naturalisation in New Zealand, which often contain details of the person’s life events. Our Citizenship research guide provides more information on naturalisation.

Read our Citizenship research guide

Telephone books

In our Auckland and Wellington archives we hold a considerable number of telephone books from all over New Zealand [BAJU 7580].

In some places the telephone books begin as early as 1909. They all continue through to 1988, with some going through to 1992. The early books do not usually list exact street addresses. These telephone books originated in the Post Office/Telecom Museum.

Other places to look for life events records

Not all life events records are held in our archives.

Cemeteries

Local authorities manage cemetery records. Our Wellington archive holds only a few plans of Māori burial ground reserves [ACIH 16036 1/21].

You may find some cemetery plans in Lands and Survey department records. We suggest using our advanced search functionality to look up a former archives reference and the name of the cemetery.

Military personnel files

Military service personnel files can be a rich source of people’s life details. We hold some World War 1 military personnel files. The New Zealand Defence Force holds later military service personnel files, including those from World War 2.

Read our War research guides