Some online library services may be unavailable during a scheduled outage from 6-7am on Thursday 18 June. Go to outage details
When starting your family history research, you'll want to look at BDM records.
Te kimi rēhita ā-whānautanga, ā-matenga, ā-mārena Finding records of births, deaths and marriages (BDM)
BDM indexes
We have unique family history online resources, and provide free access to subscription websites like Ancestry , Find My Past , MyHeritage and The Genealogist . Many family notices can be found in historic niupepa newspapers online – Papers Past for New Zealand and Trove for Australia. We also offer access to BDM microfiche indexes and district keys.
- Ancestry and The Genealogist are only available at a library.
- Find My Past provides full access from libraries only.
- 1921 Census of England and Wales has 38 million records available for access only within a library at this time. Watch out for updates on remote access.
- MyHeritage provides full access to information whilst signed in from home or at a library.
- BDM microfiche indexes are accessible in all Auckland Libraries research centres and selected community libraries. These fiche cover 1840 - 1990.
- District keys are accessible at Auckland Libraries research centres, although years covered may vary across locations, from 1848 - 1955 only. These can help identify the district in which a birth or death was registered.
- BDM indexes for 1991 - 1997 can be accessed via a unique database at Auckland Research Centre only, located in Central City Library.
For New Zealand records, start your BDM index search on the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) website for:
- births more than 100 years ago
- marriages more than 80 years ago
- deaths where the person was over 80 years, or died more than 50 years ago.
Don’t rely on indexes as your only source. We recommend that you request a printout, as these will have more complete information.
A number of other BDM resources like parish records or church registers can also be found in our catalogue by searching with the reference 2 NZL BDM.
Requesting BDM documents
You can track down New Zealand BDM documents from the DIA. Printouts are available for the following years:
births and deaths - 1848 to 1997
marriages - 1854 to 1997
Visit the DIA birth, death and marriage historical records website
Information listed on New Zealand BDM documents
- Date and place of birth
- Sex and names of child
- Name and occupation of father
- Name and maiden name of mother
- Signature, description and residence of informant
- Date of registration
- Signature of registrar
- Name of child, if added after registration
- Date and place of birth
- Sex and names of child, and whether present
- Name, age, occupation and birthplace of father
- Name, age, maiden name and birthplace of mother
- Place and date of parents' marriage
- Signature, description and residence of informant
- Signatures of witnesses if the entry is a correction of a former entry
- When registered, and signature of registrar
- Name of child, if added or altered after registration
- Date and place of birth
- Sex and first names of child
- Name, age, occupation and birthplace of father
- Name, surname and maiden name, age and birthplace of mother
- Date and place of parents' marriage
- Previous issue of existing marriage, and whether living or dead
- Signature, description, and residence of informant
- Signatures of witnesses if the entry is a correction of a former entry
- When registered and signature of registrar
- Name of child, if added or altered after registration
Includes the same information as records for deaths 1912 onwards, but also provides hapū sub tribe details of the deceased and their parents.
- Date and place of death
- Name, sex, age, and rank/occupation of deceased
- Cause of death
- Description and residence of informant
- Date of registration and signature of registrar
- Date and place of death
- Name, sex, age and rank/occupation of deceased
- Causes of death, duration of last illness, name of medical attendant
- When last seen by medical attendant
- Name and occupation of father, name and maiden name of mother
- When and where buried
- Name and religion of minister, or name of witness
- Birthplace of deceased and how long in New Zealand
- Marriage details of deceased
- Place of marriage, age at marriage and name of spouse
- If issue living, state number and sex
- Signature, description and residence of informant
- Date of registration and signature of registrar
- Date and place of death
- Name, sex, age, occupation and usual place of residence of deceased
- Causes of death, intervals between onset and death, name of medical attendant
- When last seen by medical attendant
- Name and occupation of father
- Name and maiden name of mother
- When and where buried
- Name and religion of minister, or name of witness
- Birthplace of deceased and how long in New Zealand
- Marriage details of deceased
- Place of marriage, age at marriage, name of spouse, age of widow if living
- If issue living, state ages of each, and sex
- If applicable, Māori blood and tribes of father and mother
- Signature, description and residence of informant
- Date of registration and signature of registrar
Includes the same information as records for deaths 1912 onwards, but also provides hapū sub tribe details of the deceased and their parents.
- Place and date of marriage
- Name, age, occupation and marital status of groom
- Name, age and marital status of bride
- Names and residences of the witnesses
- Name of officiating minister/priest
- Place and date of marriage
- Name, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace and residence of groom
- Name, age, marital status, birthplace and residence of bride
- Names and occupations of fathers of both parties
- Names and maiden name of mothers of both parties
- Names and residences of the witnesses
- Name of officiating minister/priest
Includes the same information as records for marriages 1880 onwards, but also provides hapū sub tribe details of the bride and groom.