Congratulatory messages You can get a congratulatory message for significant birthdays and wedding anniversaries from the Queen and New Zealand dignitaries. This is a free service for all New Zealand citizens and permanent residents.

What congratulatory messages are for

All New Zealand citizens and permanent residents can get a congratulatory message for:

birthdays of 100 years and over

wedding anniversaries — 50th, 55th, 60th, 65th, 70th and over.

What you need to apply

You need the following information:

date of birth or wedding

whether the birth or wedding happened in New Zealand or outside New Zealand — if it was outside New Zealand, please provide a copy of the birth or marriage certificate if possible

full name or names written on the birth or marriage certificate

preferred first name of the person or people celebrating the event

current address for the person or people celebrating the event, including their electorate.

When to apply

You can apply for congratulatory messages:

4 to 8 weeks before the event

no later than 6 months after the event.

If the event is in January, you should apply no later than the first week of December.

If the application is received less than 2 weeks before the anniversary, the Congratulatory Message Service team will try to send the message before the event but can't guarantee it.

Who the messages are from

Who you get the messages from depends on what you're celebrating.

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Birthday — 100 years A message will be sent from: Her Majesty the Queen

Her Excellency the Governor-General

the Prime Minister

the Minister of Internal Affairs

the Minister for Seniors

your local Member of Parliament. If the person celebrating a birthday lives in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Dunedin, they can also get a message from the Mayor.

Birthday — 101 to 104 years A message will be sent from: the Prime Minister

the Minister of Internal Affairs

the Minister for Seniors

your local Member of Parliament. If the person celebrating a birthday lives in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Dunedin, they can also get a message from the Mayor.

Birthday — 105 years and over A message will be sent from: Her Majesty the Queen

Her Excellency the Governor-General

the Prime Minister

the Minister of Internal Affairs

the Minister for Seniors

your local Member of Parliament. If the person celebrating a birthday lives in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Dunedin, they can also get a message from the Mayor.

Wedding anniversary — 50th A message will be sent from: Her Excellency the Governor-General

the Prime Minister

the Minister of Internal Affairs

your local Member of Parliament. If the couple celebrating a wedding anniversary live in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Dunedin, they can also get a message from the Mayor.

Wedding anniversary — 55th A message will be sent from: the Prime Minister

the Minister of Internal Affairs

your local Member of Parliament. If the couple celebrating a wedding anniversary live in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Dunedin, they can also get a message from the Mayor.

Wedding anniversary — 60th, 65th, 70th and over A message will be sent from: Her Majesty the Queen

Her Excellency the Governor-General

the Prime Minister

the Minister of Internal Affairs

your local Member of Parliament. If the couple celebrating a wedding anniversary live in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch or Dunedin, they can also get a message from the Mayor.

Apply for a congratulatory message

You need to apply to get a message. The person celebrating the event can apply, or someone can apply for them.

Messages are posted 1 week before the birthday or wedding anniversary.

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If you want to apply by post If you prefer to post your application, the Congratulatory Message Service team can email you a PDF or send you a printed form.

Who sees the information in the form The information you enter in the form will only be shared with the people who are part of this service. This includes DIA staff administering the message service, Her Excellency the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister for Seniors, Members of Parliament and the Mayors of some cities.

Contact

Congratulatory Message Service team

Email: congrat@dia.govt.nz

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (NZ only)

Phone: +64 4 382 3639 (outside NZ)