Were you born before 1972? Are you really who you think you are?

March 12, 2018

Fair Go investigates a bizarre identity crisis that could affect many New Zealanders.

A Fair Go investigation has discovered the Government assigned approximately 2.4 million New Zealanders a surname in 1995 without telling them.

The bizarre quirk in legislation occurred because Births Deaths and Marriages failed to record the surnames of Kiwis born before 1972.

According to the Department of Internal Affairs, parent's surnames were recorded and birth certificates were issued to parents but the baby's surname was never recorded on the official registrar.

"Legislation at the time said that surnames did not need to be kept which of course was changed after 1972," Adrian Jarvis, Deputy Registrar General of Births Death and Marriages, told Fair Go

In 1995, with digitisation on the horizon, the Government passed a law, allowing them to assign the millions of Kiwis born before 1972 with a surname. They did this without telling anyone.

"Simply because people of the amount of people I would imagine," Mr Jarvis said.

"Given the population of New Zealand and complexity of the issue it was decided at the time it was better to be done as we went and as people required new birth certificates."

The peculiar situation has come to light 23 years later after Manukau woman Leah Warburton wrote to Fair Go complaining her surname had been changed without her consent.

"They told me I was registered under Leah Dawn Hardman," Leah says.

"I've always been Leah Dawn Warburton … all my life ... it's the only name I've ever known."

Leah made the discovery after ordering a new birth certificate with Births Deaths and Marriages.

She was told she had been assigned by the Government her mother's name rather than her father’s as her parents desired. Her parents never married and on her original birth certificate she has her father's surname.

To return to her old name, Leah had to go to Internal Affairs and fill out of form. The change was made free of charge.

Leah says she can't be only person affected by this.

"Must be thousands of people out there in same boat and don't even realize it," she says.

Leah's new birth certificate with her old name arrived Friday.

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