Ministry of Justice

Quality Practice Framework - Supervised Contact - Guidance document for those providing Supervised Contact on behalf of the Family Court.

Current as at 04 June 2023. Includes all providers of childrens safety programmes, mens non-violence programmes, mens safety programmes and womens safety programmes.

After a separation or change in family situation, it can be hard to figure out how parents, guardians and whānau (family and friends) can continue to be part of their child's life. It helps if everyone can come to an agreement. This is usually quicker, cheaper, and less stressful than going to court. It also means your child doesn't need to go through the court process. This info booklet can help parents, guardians and whānau understand their options for making parenting arrangements.

The judge may appoint an independent family lawyer to your court case, called a 'Lawyer for Child'. This lawyer helps the judge understand the child's views and communicates their best interests. This info booklet can help parents, guardians and whānau (family and friends) understand more about lawyers who work with children. 

When you receive a notice of application from the Family Court, it means someone has made an application about a child in your life. You may be a parent, guardian or whānau (family and friends). This happens when people involved in the child's life can't agree on how the child will be looked after. This info booklet can help parents, guardians and whānau understand more about responding to a notice of application. 

Current at 22 August 2022. Includes all providers of childrens safety programmes, mens non-violence programmes, mens safety programmes and womens safety programmes.

Current at 25 July 2022. Includes all providers of childrens safety programmes, mens non-violence programmes, mens safety programmes and womens safety programmes.

Information to help the court better understand your child’s background

This report presents the findings of the evaluation of the Family Violence Bail (FVB) pilot. The pilot was a judicial initiative led by Judge John Walker with the support of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the New Zealand Police (Police).

In this update, Under-Secretary Jan Logie shares how the Joint Venture for Family Violence and Sexual Violence delivered under the unique circumstances of COVID-19. We also cover progress made over the current term on the Joint Venture’s work programme to eliminate family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa.

An aide memoire regarding details of the proposed amendments for the Family Court Rules 2002.

This factsheet for lawyers outlines changes arising from the Family Court (Supporting Families in Court) Legislation Act 2020.