New Zealand: Let the Family Decide - The New Approach to Family Problems

Abstract

This article summarises developments in family law in New Zealand in 1989. The main development comes in the form of the Children, Young Person, and Their Families Act 1989, which puts greater emphasis on the welfare on the family than previously. This article reviews the law and the reforms it brings it. It then goes on to review the year for de facto couples, and the developments that the Court of Appeal brings to the law of shared property in Gillies v Keogh. Finally, there is a brief review of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Bill, which will reform laws relating to surnames and the ability of a person to change their registered gender.

Keywords: Child Abuse, Law Reform, Child Protection, Family Group Conference, Paramountcy Principle, Monocultural, Family Welfare, Child Welfare, De Facto Relationship, Shared Property.

JEL Classification: K39