Family Court of New Zealand

Family Court of New Zealand Te Kooti a Whanau Aotearoa
Established	1 October 1981
Location	Level 3, Justice Centre, 19 Aitken Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Composition method	Appointed by the Governor-General on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the Prime Minister (Chief Justice) and Attorney-General (Justices)
Authorised by	Family Courts Act 1980
Judge term length	Life tenure (Constitution Act 1986, s 23)
Number of positions	43
Website	[1]

The Family Court of New Zealand (in Maori: Te Kooti a Whanau Aotearoa) is a court that specifically exists to assist New Zealanders with family issues. There are 58 Family Courts throughout New Zealand.

Although the Family Court is technically a division of the District Courts, it retains its own identity.

Role

The Family Court most commonly deals with issues relating to the welfare of children. It also deals with issues relating to births, deaths, marriage, and mental health. The usual course of action from the Family Court is to facilitate the parties involved to solve issues themselves through counselling, conciliation and mediation.

Legislation

The Family Court deals with applications under the following legislation:

• Adoption Act 1955
• Adoption (Intercountry) Act 1997
• Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act 1966
• Care of Children Act 2004
• Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989
• Child Support Act 1991
• Domestic Violence Act 1995
• Family Proceedings Act 1980
• Family Protection Act 1955
• Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003
• Law Reform (Testamentary Promises) Act 1949
• Marriage Act 1955
• Mental Health (Compulsory) Assessment and Treatment Act 1992
• Property (Relationships) Act 1976
• Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988

See also

• District Courts of New Zealand

External links

• Official website