History of adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand
A chronology of inaction of successive governments in the reform of adoption laws since 1979 can be viewed here.
With thanks to Robert Ludbrook
The late Keith Griffith, himself an adopted person, prepared papers on many aspects of adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the links below you will find many aspect of adoption that Keith complied over many years before his death in 2011.
History of adoption and rationale since ancient times and across the world.
‘It took us until 1969 until we passed the Status of Children Act so children become legitimate, and the reason for legitimacy was to protect the landowners – if the son went off and had a child they had no claim so it was to protect the wealthy, basically, like a lot of law is unfortunately’
Hansard’s record of who said what about adoption issues in our House of Parliament:
7570 (2012). Jacinda Ardern to the Minister of Justice - Who can adopt.
7586 (2012). Jacinda Ardern to the Minister of Justice - Asking how to ‘improve’ the number of adoptions in NZ
The New Zealand History Talks seminar in Wellington on 20 September 2023 titled Adoption: From severance and secrecy to connection and openness, was a conversation led by Professor Bill Atkin, Emeritus Professor from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington Law School. Bill was joined by two authors of books about adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand, Jo Willis and Anne Else. Their books discussed the profound impact of closed stranger adoption in New Zealand and the drive for change.
The seminar was presented by Manatū Taonga - the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, in Wellington.
History of adoption in New Zealand - New Zealand Law Commission