Latest updates

15 October 2024

Ashley's Law

An amendment Bill enabling victims of family violence to quickly dissolve abusive marriages is set to pass into law today.

27 March 2022

Vaccination Disputes Between Guardians of Children

A recent decision by the Family Court further confirmed the approach to be taken when settling vaccination disputes between guardians.

21 February 2022

A child's right to choose - COVID-19 vaccinations

A recent Family Court decision confirmed the right of a child to make their own choice on the COVID-19 vaccine.

9 February 2022

Implementing the COVID-19 Protection Framework in the courts and tribunals

The Ministry of Justice has released the key measures that will be taken to manage health and safety in the courts and tribunals. These took effect on 31 January 2022.

8 February 2022

Appointing a Welfare Guardian - Personal Care and Welfare

A welfare guardian is a person appointed by the Court under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 (“the Act”) to make decisions for an individual when they cannot make decisions for themselves.

22 August 2021

Sorting Out My Parenting Matter

Unfortunately, if parents separate and cannot agree on the care arrangements for their children, they may need to apply to the Family Court in one of two ways: Without Notice Applications, or On Notice Applications. This article sets out how each of these applications works.

11 August 2020

Parenting Arrangements During Lockdown

The Government has announced that the Auckland region will be subject to level 3 restrictions from 12:00pm today, and that all other regions will be subject to level 2 restrictions. Parents, guardians and caregivers with children subject to parenting orders may be wondering how this affects their arrangements.

16 July 2020

How to Correct Errors on a Death Certificate in New Zealand

Death certificates have a high sentimental value for families and are part of the public record in New Zealand. Despite their significance, the information recorded in these documents is not always correct. Over the years, there have been incidents where people find that information on death certificates has been wrongly recorded.

28 June 2020

Is Your Student Loan a Relationship Debt?

A conversation about student loans might not be an ideal start to a first date, especially if this is a relationship with some potential. However, when beginning a new relationship, it’s helpful to know what sort of debt your prospective significant other has.

11 June 2020