We now have a Justice of the Peace service available at Gender Minorities Aotearoa, specifically for supporting transgender people to change their identity documents.
The role of a Justice of the Peace is to:
- Witness signatures on documents
- Certify copies of documents (including email attachments and phone messages)
- Take oaths, declarations, affidavits, or affirmations
- Confirm identity
You can find out more about what a Justice of the Peace does here.
If you are in the process of changing your identification documents, such as the name or sex/gender marker on your birth certificate, you will likely be required to have an “authorised witness” verify your identity, certify copies of your identification as true copies, or witness an affidavit or statement you have written. While there are other options such as a lawyer, a Justice of the Peace is the most commonly chosen as they are free to use.
Our Justice of the Peace is a member of GMA staff, she is a transgender woman, and she has a thorough understanding of the process of changing identity documents as well as the support and expertise of our whole team. This means you can get accurate and up to date information from GMA to make the process as smooth as possible, if you get stuck with the forms you can contact us with questions, and when you need a witness at the end.
We can offer our JP services in person at our Wellington drop in, or online via Zoom if you have access to a scanner and printer.
