Family Court Statistics: an overview of Family Court Statistics in New Zealand 2004 to 2008
This bulletin analyses, between 2004 and 2008, the four main areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Family Court.1 It also looks at overall trends of use from 1999 to 2008.
Family Court statistics – main findings
Overall trends 1999 to 2008
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The number of new applications2 is stable. This indicates that court workload is relatively constant over that period.
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The annual number of new cases has generally decreased. This points to falling numbers of new family groups using the Family Court. The exceptions are those seeking counselling or relationship dissolution.
Parenting of children
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Between 2005 and 2008, the distribution of parties given day-to-day care has more or less remained the same. Most parenting orders give day-to-day care to either the mother or the father.
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New Plymouth and Rotorua court clusters had the highest rate of new parenting of children cases in 2008.
Family violence
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The number of protection order applications, and the proportion of applications granted, have been stable between 2006 and 2008.
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In 2008, the South Island has a lower rate of new family violence cases than the North Island.
Care and protection of children
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The annual number of new children needing care and protection rose from about nearly 1900 in 2004 to over 2250 in 2006. The number declined to about 1550 in 2008.
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Between 2004 and 2008, 85 percent of applications to care and protect a child cited the likelihood of harm or impairment of well-being as one of the grounds for the action.
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The main group of children taken into care are between 0-4 years old. In contrast, the largest group of children at their final review are aged 15 years and older.
Dissolution of relationships
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The number of joint dissolution of marriage and civil union applications fell steadily between 2004 and 2008.
- In 2008, both the North and South Islands appear to have similar rates of dissolution cases. The highest rate was in the Nelson-Marlborough area.
1 For more information, please go to www.justice.govt.nz/courts/family-court.
2 Throughout this publication, only substantive applications are considered.
Care and protection of children
Other annual statistical reports available
Family court stats bulletin May 2010.pdf
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PDF document,
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