Legislation
Adoption Act 1955 - This is currently the legislation used for all adoptions in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is much wrong with this Act. You can find documents here that highlight the main concerns Adoption Action Inc has about this outdated legislation.
Adoption Action Inc took a case to the Human Rights Tribunal about the discriminatory provisions in the Adoption Act and the Adult Adoption Information Act. The claim was submitted in 2013.
On 7 March 2016, the Human Rights Tribunal declared seven provisions inconsistent with the right to freedom from discrimination affirmed by s 19 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.
The full decision is available here Adoption Action Inc v Attorney-General [2016] NZHRRT
The Human Rights Commission submission is available here.
Adult Adoption Information Act 1985 - This is the Act that enables people lost to adoption to request information about their lost ones. It goes some way to assisting people find their lost ones, but it does not provide the openness to records that will enable all people lost to adoption to find the person or people they have lost.
Other legislation relating to the care of children includes:
The Families Commission was disestablished by the Families Commission Act Repeal Act 2018. The Commission had an important role in advocating for children and responding to issues such as adoption and surrogacy. The Act was repealed on 30 June 2019.
The District Courts of New Zealand have complied a list with links to the Acts that are commonly dealt with by the Family Courts. The District Court notes that the list is intended as a guide only and is not an exhaustive list.