All deaths in NZ must be registered with Births Deaths & Marriages (a division of the Department of Internal Affairs)
within 3 days of the burial or cremation.
Funeral Directors can submit these forms electronically.
If a funeral director is not involved, the notification must be made by the person in charge of the body, using a Notification of Death form (BDM28).
The BDM28 form requires identifying details of the deceased person including:
- the date and place they were born;
- details of their parents (including their professions);
- details of their marriages and their children;
- the dates of birth of any living spouses. I
- details of the cause of death that must be transcribed from the doctor’s handwritten MCCD.
To obtain this, form contact Births, Deaths & Marriages Freephone: 0800 22 52 52
The Department of Internal Affairs has an on-line information brochure about these issues: Before Burial or Cremation
BIRTHS, DEATHS & MARRIAGES:
Overview of registering a death: website
Registering a death without involving a funeral director: website
BD&M email: bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz