8 May 2019
Rivalling the excitement of baby Sussex’s arrival, is the anticipation of waiting to hear what the newest royal will be
named.
It’s likely the name would have already been announced if baby Sussex had instead been born in New Zealand, thanks to
our world leading, online platform SmartStart.
Before the name of the newest royal is made public, the baby will have to be registered.
This may take a few days, as the United Kingdom still requires one of the parents to go in person to the local registry
office to register their baby, with not even the Duke and Duchess being excused from this process.
The only exception is for the heir to the throne, in which case the Westminster Registry makes a special trip to the
palace.
“SmartStart allows everyone in New Zealand, including our Prime Minister, to register their baby easily online,” says
Jeff Montgomery, Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
“In addition to online registry services, SmartStart has an online step-by-step guide that provides information and
services from the beginning of pregnancy to beyond the baby’s birth,” says Mr Montgomery.
Until the United Kingdom decides to adopt a similar programme, we will continue to wait in anticipation for either the
Duke or Duchess to pop into their local registry office to register their bundle of joy.
More information on SmartStart can be found at https://smartstart.services.govt.nz/
ENDS