First for a birth certificate

A lesbian couple from Nelson appear to have been issued a first for New Zealand: a birth certificate for their daughter with ‘‘mother’’ and ‘‘mother’’ named as parents.

Lawyer Stewart Dalley, from Auckland, represented the couple in their bid to get their daughter’s birth certificate changed, as it previously read ‘‘mother’’ and ‘‘other parent’’.

‘‘For some people, ‘other parent’ just carries a sort of lesser standing,’’ Dalley said. ‘‘It seems a more derogatory term, a ‘you’re the other parent, they’re the real parent’ sort of situation.’’

It was a massive change to have the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) amend its procedures, so the Nelson women could both be named as ‘‘mother’’, as it also had wider implications.

‘‘It potentially affects more than 1000 children who could have their birth certificates amended now,’’ Dalley said.

‘‘And the way society is progressing, I think the other change that’s been noted is that irrespective of how a child is conceived in the future, the parents of any description will be able to select either mother, father, or parent, so that potentially impacts on transgender people.’’

He said the Nelson couple, who wish to be known only as Jess and Stacy, conceived their daughter Evie using artificial reproductive technology (ART).

In August 2017, they sought to register her birth and for both women to be named as ‘‘mother’’ on the birth certificate.

The DIA refused their request, claiming it could only designate the gestational parent as ‘‘mother’’ and her female partner as ‘‘other parent’’.

This sparked an initial complaint to the Human Rights Commission late last year, which raised the issue with the department.

Dalley said the DIA had just finalised the changes, within the last 24 hours, which saw an official change to Evie’s birth certificate.

Dalley said Jess and Stacy now had a copy of the amended birth certificate and it was his understanding it marked a first for New Zealand.

He said it also meant women who had previously been designated as ‘‘other parent’’ on their child’s birth certificate could contact the department to change their child’s birth certificate to name both women as ‘‘mother’’ or one or both as ‘‘parent’’. Additionally, the department had confirmed to Dalley there would be no cost to the women for this service.

Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson Steve Corbett said in a statement, the Registrar General has announced the recording of parental titles on life event certificates, including births, marriages and deaths, has been expanded.

‘‘The change will enable two female parents to both be recorded on a birth certificate as the child’s ‘mother’, where that child was conceived using assisted reproductive techniques, such as artificial insemination,’’ he said.

People who would like their current certificates changed to reflect the new option are able to do so at no cost by phoning 0800 22 52 52 or emailing bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz.

‘‘It potentially affects more than 1000 children.’’ Lawyer Stewart Dalley