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When you have a peace of mind (home) paternity
test done, the swabs for sample collection are sent
directly to the donor(s) at their home and they
take their own samples. This does not allow any
means of confirming that the sample truly originates
from the stipulated donor. When you have a legal
paternity test done, each donor must attend a proper
collection to have a buccal swab (mouth swab) taken.
Also, verification measures (such as photo identification)
are in place to confirm that the samples have come
from the stipulated donor.
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Please note that it is not possible to upgrade
from a peace of mind test to a legal test once you
have had a peace of mind test done.
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ISO standards are strictly enforced when we handle,
process, and report your legal parentage test. Please
contact our friendly customer service staff at any
point during your testing and they will be more
than happy to guide you through the process and
answer your queries.
The steps involved in the process for a legal paternity
test are outlined below. Please do not hesitate
to contact us if you prefer to have it explained
to you instead of reading it!
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It is required by law in NZ to include a mother
in a legal paternity test. If the mother is deceased,
we will require documentation of this (death certificate,
obituary, etc.) prior to processing a test without
a mother.
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Once you have decided to do a legal paternity test
or would like to talk through the options with our
DNA Solutions staff, contact our office on 0800
362 837.
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Once you are ready to proceed with a legal parentage
test, we will arrange to send you the paperwork
that you will need; we can send this via normal
post, email, or fax, or you may download the paperwork
yourself by clicking on the button below.
Click
to download your legal paperwork
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Also in this initial phone call (if you are ready
to do so) we can organise your collection. We have
collection points established around New Zealand
and can set up additional collection points, so
we will find the nearest collection point to you.
This may require us calling you back in 2-3 days
with the information for your collection point.
You may have your own doctor collect your sample,
if you prefer, and please be prepared to provide
us with their name, address, and telephone number
when you call.
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Once the collection point has been established,
we will send your collection kit via Express Post.
The collection point should receive this kit within
approximately 4 business days at which point you
can contact the collection point and identify yourself
by name and set up an appointment to have your collection
done. If they do not have your collection kit after
4 - 7 business days, please notify us on 0800 362
837.
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When you contact the collection point to make an
appointment, please keep in mind that you have to
go to a Justice of the Peace prior to your collection
on that same day (discussed in more detail three
points below).
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Often in a legal parentage case, the alleged father,
mother, and child may not wish to attend collection
together. We are quite happy to work with each adult
party separately and to organize separate collections,
if that is better for your situation.
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Once you have your paperwork (or while waiting
for it to arrive), you can organise for two (2)
passport sized photos of each donor. These photos
must be passport sized (not actual passport photos),
full frontal original colour photos with none of
the facial features obscured.
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On the day of your collection, but prior to your
collection, go to a Justice of the Peace (JP) and
have your Affidavit witnessed.
Who
is a Justice of the Peace?
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A Doctor is NOT necessarily a Justice
of the Peace
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A police officer with a rank of Sergeant
or above is a Justice of the Peace
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A solicitor/lawyer is a Justice of the
Peace
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Payment can be made in a number of ways, all of
which are detailed in the paperwork that you will
receive.
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When you go to your collection, take your Affidavit,
Collection Form, and the Parentage Testing Information
Sheet, as the collector will return all paperwork
along with the samples directly to DNA Solutions
via Express Post (envelope provided in the collection
kit).
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Our Sample Reception staff will review the paperwork
and samples against the ISO guidelines as they are
received. If there are any issues with the paperwork
or samples, we will contact you as soon as possible.
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Once all samples, paperwork, and payment has been
received and approved, we will begin processing
your test. Normal testing time is ten (10) business
days from the day that we approve all the samples
and paperwork.
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Upon completion of testing, an analyst will call
each adult donor to issue the results. Original
hard copies of reports will be mailed to each adult
party involved in the testing. The report will include
statistics calculated for your particular case if
the result is a match and this value should exceed
99.9%. If the result is a mismatch, it is 100% that
it is a mismatch and the statistics are therefore
not calculated nor reported.
