Editing Department of Internal Affairs (section)

==History==
===19th century===
The Department of Internal Affairs traces its roots back to the [[Colonial Secretary (New Zealand)|Colonial Secretary's Office]], which from the time New Zealand became a British [[colony]], in 1840, was responsible for almost all central government duties. The department was the first government department to be established in New Zealand, and it became the home for a diverse range of government functions providing services to New Zealanders and advice to Ministers of the Crown.<ref name="History">{{cite web |title=History of the Department |url=http://www.dia.govt.nz/About-Internal-Affairs---Department-structure---History-of-the-Department |access-date=22 January 2025 |publisher=The Department of Internal Affairs}}</ref>  A former [[Minister of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)|Minister of Internal Affairs]], [[Michael Bassett]], wrote a history of the department, ''The Mother of All Departments'', the title of which reflects this status.<ref>[[Michael Bassett|Bassett, Michael]] ''The Mother of All Departments'' (1997, Auckland University Press, Auckland) {{ISBN|1-86940-175-1}}</ref> The department's role has changed over time as new departments and ministries have been formed.<ref name="History" />

The [[Colonial Secretary of New Zealand|Colonial Secretary]] was the chief aide of the [[Governor-General of New Zealand|governor of New Zealand]]. Until 1848 his office dealt with all correspondence between the governor and his employees, and between officials and the public. Other early functions included inspecting sheep, running prisons, supervising government printing, licensing auctioneers, registering births, deaths and marriages, collecting statistics, and responsibility for gambling, fire brigades, constitutional matters (including running elections) and citizenship.<ref name="History" /> Some of these functions are still duties of the modern department, which gained its present name in 1907, but other functions eventually grew into standalone government agencies. As the department's functions have changed over time, there has become a growing acknowledgement that it carries responsibility for all government functions which are not substantial enough to justify a standalone organisation or do not fit well into any other existing departments.<ref name="History" />

From 1853 the Colonial Secretary's Office coordinated the relationship between central government and provincial government and, when the provinces were abolished in 1876, took on responsibility for the new [[Local government in New Zealand|system of local government]].<ref name="History" />

===20th century===
Over the twentieth century the department's functions would include cultural affairs, civil defence, a translation service, conservation, tourism, sport and recreation, support for ethnic communities, and support services for government ministers.<ref name="History" /> Several new government departments have been formed by establishing new agencies around former Internal Affairs services. The electoral office moved to the [[Ministry of Justice (New Zealand)|Department of Justice]] in 1950 before becoming an independent [[Electoral Commission (New Zealand)|Electoral Commission]] in 2010. The [[Department of Industries and Commerce]] took over the statistics function in 1931;<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About Internal Affairs - Department structure - Timeline - dia.govt.nz |url=https://www.dia.govt.nz/About-Internal-Affairs---Department-structure---Timeline |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=www.dia.govt.nz}}</ref>  an independent [[Statistics New Zealand|Department of Statistics]] was created in 1957. The [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]] was established in 1987 by merging the department's [[New Zealand Wildlife Service|wildlife service]] with other similar entities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salmon |first=Guy |date=May 2013 |title=Background and history of development of the conservation estate in New Zealand |url=https://www.pce.parliament.nz/media/pdfs/Background-and-history-of-development-of-the-conservation-estate-in-New-Zealand.pdf |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment}}</ref>

The [[National Library of New Zealand]] and [[Archives New Zealand]] were separated from the department in the late 1990s but merged back in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=beehive.govt.nz - State sector changes to improve performance |url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/state-sector-changes-improve-performance |access-date=25 November 2014 |publisher=Beehive.govt.nz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Underpinning democracy: the future of Archives New Zealand   : Press release |url=http://www.aranz.org.nz/includes/download.aspx?ID=107780 |access-date=25 November 2014 |publisher=Aranz.org.nz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Guy, Nathan |title=Minister welcomes State Sector legislation (press release) |url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/minister-welcomes-state-sector-legislation |access-date=30 May 2014 |work=beehive.govt.nz |publisher=New Zealand Government}}</ref> A standalone Ministry of Cultural Affairs (now the [[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]], which in the present day also has responsibility for the sport and recreation portfolio) was established in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Government involvement in culture {{!}} Ministry for Culture and Heritage |url=https://mch.govt.nz/about-ministry/overview/history-government-involvement-culture |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=mch.govt.nz}}</ref> The department briefly held responsibility for tourism from 1998 until 2000, when this was combined with other former [[Ministry of Commerce (New Zealand)|Ministry of Commerce]] functions in the new [[Ministry of Economic Development (New Zealand)|Ministry of Economic Development]], now the [[Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=From DIA to MED – a change of home for the Office of Tourism and Sport |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/dia-med-%E2%80%93-change-home-office-tourism-and-sport |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=The Beehive |language=en}}</ref>

===21st century===
The [[National Emergency Management Agency (New Zealand)|National Emergency Management Agency]], which had been a business unit within the department since before [[World War II]], was transferred to the [[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (New Zealand)|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Changes to the functions of the Department of Internal Affairs {{!}} Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission |url=https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/resources/internal-affairs-changing-roles-functions/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.publicservice.govt.nz}}</ref> The Office of Ethnic Communities, originally a single part-time position within the department, became the new [[Ministry for Ethnic Communities]] in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry for Ethnic Communities |title=History of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities |url=https://www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/assets/AboutUs/History-of-the-Ministry-for-Ethnic-Communities.pdf |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=Ministry for Ethnic Communities}}</ref>

The department has also gained responsibilities that previously belonged to other agencies. In 2009 the department took responsibility for government technology services from the [[State Services Commission]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Affairs |first=The Department of Internal |title=Press Releases - dia.govt.nz |url=https://www.dia.govt.nz/press.nsf/d77da9b523f12931cc256ac5000d19b6/0b03301bb1ee7fcccc2576110017e2df!OpenDocument |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.dia.govt.nz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=New Zealand Government |date=2013 |title=Review of the State Services Commission |url=https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/assets/Legacy/resources/pif-ssc-review-aug2013.PDF |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=Public Service Commission}}</ref> The [[New Zealand Office for the Community & Voluntary Sector|Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector]] was transferred to the department from the [[Ministry of Social Development (New Zealand)|Ministry of Social Development]] in 2011.<ref>{{Citation |last=MSD |title=Communities are better able to support themselves - Ministry of Social Development |url=https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/corporate/annual-report/2010-11/communities-supporting-themselves.html |publisher=MSD |access-date=2022-07-06}}</ref> In 2021, the department gained the legal ability to process requests from people wishing to change their sex on their birth certificate, including to a non-binary marker, rather than them needing to go through the court system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-15 |title=Self-identification law kicks in |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/492049/self-identification-law-kicks-in |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Justice. |title=Change the sex/gender on a birth certificate {{!}} New Zealand Ministry of Justice |url=https://www.justice.govt.nz/family/change-the-sexgender-on-a-birth-certificate/ |access-date=2024-06-19}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-14 |title=Change the registered sex on your birth certificate |url=https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/changing-your-gender/change-the-registered-sex-on-your-birth-certificate/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=New Zealand Government |language=en-NZ}}</ref> In 2024, the government announced that the department would become the sole supervisor of the anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism regulatory system, taking over functions currently overseen by the [[Reserve Bank of New Zealand|Reserve Bank]] and [[Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand)|Financial Markets Authority]].<ref name="e031">{{cite web |date=22 October 2024 |title=Government to overhaul anti-money laundering regime |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-overhaul-anti-money-laundering-regime |access-date=9 April 2025 |website=The Beehive}}</ref>

In mid-April 2024, the department experienced a backlog in processing [[New Zealand passport]] applications due to the installation of computer system upgrades in March 2024 and increased seasonal demand. Standard passport processing took eight weeks while urgent passport processing took three days. The number of passports processed dropped from 38,000 in February 2024 to half that number in March 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cook |first1=Charlotte |title=New Zealand Passport system upgrades lead to longer processing times |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/514860/new-zealand-passport-system-upgrades-lead-to-longer-processing-times |access-date=17 May 2024 |work=[[RNZ]] |date=22 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514075328/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/514860/new-zealand-passport-system-upgrades-lead-to-longer-processing-times |archive-date=14 May 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> On 14 May 2024, the department apologised for delays in wait times for processing passport applications.<ref>{{cite news |title=Internal Affairs apologises for lengthy passport delays |url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/14/internal-affairs-apologises-for-lengthy-passport-delays/ |access-date=17 May 2024 |work=[[1News]] |publisher=[[TVNZ]] |date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517024350/https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/05/14/internal-affairs-apologises-for-lengthy-passport-delays/ |archive-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>