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Home / New Zealand

Public have their say on law change to make it easier to change sex on birth certificates

NZ Herald
21 Sep, 2021 09:28 PM3 mins to read

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Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti. Photo / Mark Mitchell

WATCH LIVE:

Public submissions kick off today for a law change to allow gender diverse people to more easily change the sex recorded on their birth certificates.

The change will allow people to change a birth certificate by self-identification and signing a statutory declaration rather than a court process.

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It has been possible to change the sex on a birth certificate since 1995, but only under a Family Court process that can be complicated.

The change has broad political support, but has been controversial among groups who claim it could impact on women's rights.

The measure has had a prolonged road through Parliament: it was introduced into a broader bill to change the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act by a select committee in 2019 after several submissions on the issue.

However, then Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin put the proposal on ice, saying that because it had not been part of the original bill it had not had sufficient chance for public input.

In June this year, new Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced it would progress, but would go back to select committee for public submissions. She also changed the provision to allow people to change the recorded sex several times if required.

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"The Bill will simplify the confusing, intimidating and time-consuming process for those who wish to self-identify their sex on their birth certificate – so it's similar to the current process for driver's licenses and passports," Tinetti said.

"This change will lessen the likelihood that transgender, non-binary and intersex New Zealanders will experience discrimination in their day-to-day lives, particularly when using a birth certificate to access services like setting up a bank account or enrolling a child in school."

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Rainbow Wellington 8.20am - 8.30am

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