On this page
A good place to start is Welcome to Govt.nz. It has helpful pages on:
- Engaging with government – How government in New Zealand works, how to make submissions, how to request information, and how to find out your Member of Parliament (MP).
- Health – Finding a doctor, getting a community services card, food safety, dental care and help at home.
- Immigration and visas – Travelling to or living in New Zealand, customs, border security and refugees.
- Passports, citizenship and identity – Birth certificates, citizenship, passports, changing name or gender.
- Law, crime and justice – Being called for jury service, statutory declarations, paying fines, human rights and criminal records.
- Tax, benefits and finance – Inland Revenue Department (IRD) numbers, benefits, superannuation, SuperGold card and KiwiSaver.
- Education – School holidays, school zones, student loans and scholarships.
- Work – Public holidays, minimum wage, annual, sick, domestic violence and other leave, and changing jobs.
- Leaving New Zealand – Moving to Australia, working overseas and emergency help.
- Family and whānau – Having a baby, marriage, divorce, bereavement and financial help.
- Consumer rights and complaints – Credit records, consumer rights, complaints, debt and privacy.
- Housing and property – Buying, renting, selling, building, rates, renovating and insulation.
- Transport – Driver licences, registration, fines, tickets, buying, selling, Warrant of Fitness (WOF) and child car seats.
- Recreation and the environment – Daylight saving, freedom camping, natural resources, fishing and hunting.
- History, culture and heritage – Family history, Māori language, culture and heritage, Treaty of Waitangi, and military history.
The Govt.nz app
The Govt.nz app is another way you can find government services and support. This app brings together selected government services into one secure mobile app, which can be downloaded free from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Find who to contact in government or your council
It can be hard to know how to contact a government service or your local council. To make this easier, the government has created an A–Z list of government offices and councils. This list shows:
- Contact details for the office or District/City Council.
- Who the Mayor is for the council and contact details.
- Who the responsible Minister is for the government office and contact details.
You can find this information at: Government A-Z
If you’re unsure who to contact, you can find the same information by topic at: Contact details by topic.
Get language support when contacting a government service
You can ask for a free professional interpreter when contacting a government service.
How to get language support:
- Let the service you’re contacting know that you need an interpreter.
- That service will organise a qualified interpreter for free. Some languages may require advance booking.
- Support is offered in many languages, including New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).
The Ministry for Ethnic Communities provides Language Assistance Services (LAS): Accessing interpreting services | Ethnic Communities