Family Courts Act 1980
Encyclopedia
The Family Courts Act 1980 is a New Zealand
law covering family courts, which have jurisdiction over marriage
, civil unions, divorce
, custody of children
, child support
and wills
. Family courts are a division of the District Court
and also operate under the District Courts Act 1947. Family courts were among the first in New Zealand to focus on informality; neither judges nor lawyers may wear wigs and gowns are banned for lawyers and optional for judges.
The Act is notable for Section 11B, which amounts to a default blanket ban on reporting of most of the business of the court when children are involved. Stories that are reported often have details such as the gender of children omitted. A rare instance of detailed on-going coverage was the kidnapping of Jayden Headley, when publishing of the details was encouraged to locate the victim.
Most of the acts the family courts have jurisdiction over have been updated to include same-sex partners. Exceptions are the Marriage Act 1955, which is matched by the Civil Union Act 2004
and the Adoption Act 1955 which currently prevents same-sex couples from adopting. There is currently political pressure to change this.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
law covering family courts, which have jurisdiction over marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, civil unions, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, custody of children
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
, child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
and wills
Wills
Wills is a surname and may refer to:* Alfred Wills , English High Court judge and mountaineer* Andrew Wills , Australian rules footballer* Anneke Wills , British actress...
. Family courts are a division of the District Court
District Courts of New Zealand
The District Courts of New Zealand are low-level trial courts in New Zealand. The District Courts can hear civil claims up to $200,000 and criminal cases involving relatively minor offences...
and also operate under the District Courts Act 1947. Family courts were among the first in New Zealand to focus on informality; neither judges nor lawyers may wear wigs and gowns are banned for lawyers and optional for judges.
The Act is notable for Section 11B, which amounts to a default blanket ban on reporting of most of the business of the court when children are involved. Stories that are reported often have details such as the gender of children omitted. A rare instance of detailed on-going coverage was the kidnapping of Jayden Headley, when publishing of the details was encouraged to locate the victim.
Most of the acts the family courts have jurisdiction over have been updated to include same-sex partners. Exceptions are the Marriage Act 1955, which is matched by the Civil Union Act 2004
Civil Union Act 2004
The Civil Union Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand. It was passed into law on Thursday 9 December 2004 by a final vote of 65-55 in the New Zealand Parliament....
and the Adoption Act 1955 which currently prevents same-sex couples from adopting. There is currently political pressure to change this.