NZ battle over BDM's

It's battle stations in New Zealand according to this report on Stuff.co.nz, with the media, civil liberties activists, private investigators and genealogists all crying foul following the introduction of a Bill into Parliament that would impose restrictions for the first time on access to births, deaths and marriage records. The changes would bring New Zealand into line with access provisions common in Australia, but some over there take the view that freedom of the press, and other rights are at stake.

The Government has justified the changes because of the need to address identity fraud but the editor of the Dominion Post says:

"People are born, they marry or enter a civil union. They divorce, they die. Why should this be taken out of the public view".

It's a rather quaint view that this type of information should be available to anyone as a matter of routine.