The Challenge of Unmarried Cohabitation -- The New Zealand Response

24 Pages Posted: 6 Jan 2015 Last revised: 16 Feb 2016

See all articles by Bill Atkin

Bill Atkin

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka - Faculty of Law

Date Written: 2003

Abstract

Unmarried cohabitation has been one of the most pressing issues in family law to date. Whereas once the law ignored everything but one man and one woman joined in matrimony, it has adapted in the light of the changing nature of relationships. This article first describes the Status of Children Act 1969 as a precursor of changes to come. It then goes through the case law reactions to de facto couples, as well as the steps taken to reform the law. This culminates in the Property (Relationships) Amendment Act 2001. Finally, the article critically analyses the effects this Act has with regards to the equating of de facto relationships and marriages.

Keywords: Relationship Property, De Facto Relationship, Illegitimacy, Division of Property

JEL Classification: K39

Suggested Citation

Atkin, Bill, The Challenge of Unmarried Cohabitation -- The New Zealand Response (2003). Family Law Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 2, 2003, Victoria University of Wellington Legal Research Paper No. 12/2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2545170

Bill Atkin (Contact Author)

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka - Faculty of Law ( email )

PO Box 600
Wellington, 6140
New Zealand

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