Interesting that in NZ one should be unable to make a desired name change. I am familiar with the English term 'deed poll', a formal application to do so, but my understanding of U.S. law is that anyone may change his/her name at any time without any formal legal process provided it is not done with the intent to defraud someone.
The law is similar here, but, here at least, passports are legal documents, and require one's legal name on them. The man in question could have changed his name by deed poll, at a cost of around $170US. The law here apparently allows for a woman to change her legal surname to that of her husband without having to do so by deed poll, and that was the problem in the case I mentioned. The gentleman assumed that the law would allow him to do the same, but it did not. I guss that prior to applying for his passport, he had just been using his wife's surname as his own, unaware that a change by deed poll would be necessary.
