What information will the Ministry of Education ask for when I request records?

You will be asked for proof of your identity 

If you are requesting information about yourself, the Ministry of Education will ask to see proof of your identity.  Requesting your records can bring up a range of emotions. Learn where you can find support to help you before, during, and after you have received your records. 

Examples of documents you can use as proof of identity include your: 

• birth certificate
• driver licence
• New Zealand passport or firearms licence (either current or expired up to two years)
• New Zealand citizenship certificate or New Zealand certificate of identity
• Personal Identity Profile, if you are in prison. 

Providing additional details may assist the Ministry to find your records 

They may also ask you to provide: 

• your full name (at the time you were in school if you know it)  
• your date of birth  
• as much detail as possible about the information you want, such as when you were at school, which school/s you attended if you know, or any events you specifically want information about. 

Additional information for records requested about living whānau 

The Ministry will ask you if you have the written permission of your whānau member. This includes: 

• your whānau member’s full name
• how to contact them
• who they want to represent them
• the representative’s contact details
• what information they consent to you requesting and/or accessing on their behalf. 

You and your whānau can use the Ministry’s Authority to Act form (84 KB, Pdf) to provide proof that they have given you their consent.  

Additional information if you are requesting records about a deceased whānau member 

If you are asking for a deceased whānau member’s records, the Ministry will ask to see proof that you have their consent to access their records, for example: 

• written authority from the whānau member before they died (for example, on an Authority to Act form (84 KB, Pdf)) or
• court documents showing you have authority to see your relative’s information (for example, making you the administrator of their estate, if they did not leave a will). 

You may also be able to request whānau records under the OIA

If you do not have written consent or court documents showing that you are a person’s representative, you can try making an Official Information Act (OIA) request.

The Ministry of Education will consider whether to give you records about your whānau, by considering the person’s right to privacy and your interest as their whānaunga/relative.  

The Ministry may ask you to provide proof of your relationship, for example a birth or marriage certificate.