We request an open dataset listing official government registry offices and authorised digital certificate request endpoints across New Zealand. The dataset should include, for each entry: Agency name (e.g. Births, Deaths & Marriages / Department of Internal Affairs) Office name or service (central or local office) Physical address (street, suburb, city, region, postcode) Geolocation (latitude, longitude) Jurisdiction / coverage (national / regional / local) Contact phone number and public email (if available) Official website / landing page URL for certificate requests If available: direct digital request endpoints or API URLs, including accepted formats (HTML forms, CSV, JSON, API) Opening hours / service hours (where applicable) Any public notes about proof/ID requirements or referral links to required forms Preferred formats: CSV (for tabular reuse) and JSON (for API ingestion). Metadata should include field definitions and date of last update. If possible, provide a machine-readable (JSON-LD or CSV) version plus a human-friendly HTML page.
Citizens and service providers currently struggle to find consistent, up-to-date, machine-readable information about where and how to request official certificates (birth, marriage, death). Information is fragmented across multiple pages and local authority sites, causing time loss, incorrect referrals, and extra contact to government call centres. This makes it harder for people — especially overseas residents, remote users and service intermediaries — to identify the correct channels and formats for submitting certificate requests.
Providing a single, standardised open dataset will enable developers, legal/immigration advisers, social services and intermediaries to build accurate lookup tools, automate referrals, and present up-to-date guidance to users. Machine-readable endpoints (CSV/JSON/API) will reduce manual phone/email queries, lower workload on call centres, and speed up access to essential documents. Public service organisations could integrate the dataset into maps, chatbots and online forms to reduce user confusion and improve service delivery nationwide.
Request received
Tēnā koe OIA request 25/26 0441 Request for dataset of registry locations Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal Affairs (Department) on 21 October 2025. You requested – We request an open dataset listing official government registry offices and authorised digital certificate request endpoints across New Zealand. The dataset should include, for each entry: 1. Agency name (e.g. Births, Deaths & Marriages / Department of Internal Affairs) 2. Office name or service (central or local office) 3. Physical address (street, suburb, city, region, postcode) 4. Geolocation (latitude, longitude) 5. Jurisdiction / coverage (national / regional / local) 6. Contact phone number and public email (if available) 7. Official website / landing page URL for certificate requests 8. If available: direct digital request endpoints or API URLs, including accepted formats (HTML forms, CSV, JSON, API) 9. Opening hours / service hours (where applicable) 10. Any public notes about proof/ID requirements or referral links to required forms Preferred formats: CSV (for tabular reuse) and JSON (for API ingestion). Metadata should include field definitions and date of last update. If possible, provide a machine-readable (JSON-LD or CSV) version plus a human-friendly HTML page. ‘Registry Offices’ has been interpreted as meaning public counters based in New Zealand, as Life and Identity Service Officers (LISOs) who register births are located in each of these offices. In response to your request, I can provide you with the following information. I must advise that this information is not naturally held by the Department in the format that you have requested as it is already publicly available via the following website - https://www.govt.nz/organisations/births-deaths-and-marriages/?OpenView . Application Programming Interface (API) for the Government is publicly available information and can be found on the following website - https://catalogue.data.govt.nz/dataset/government-api-catalogue It may be useful for you to know that there are free Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that can generate datasets in a CSV and JSON format. By inputting the details outlined in your request, AI can assist in structuring the information: See here for AI tool Co Pilot used to generate the information you sought - https://copilot.microsoft.com/ Please see uploaded with this letter Appendix A in a CSV format with the information you have requested. As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the DIA website. All requestor data, including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released response will be made available here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-Requests-2. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602. Nāku noa, nā Micheala Ngaia Official Correspondence Manager Regulatory and Identity Services
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