Submission on the Overseas Adoptions Legislation Bill

Mana Mokopuna agrees that the Adoption Act 1955 needs to be amended to safeguard the rights and interests of children adopted overseas, and generally supports the Bill.

However, we recommend that the Bill be amended in a range of ways, including to require consideration of children’s views when assessing their welfare and best interests; to allow for the possibility that adoptions are recognised where neither the child nor the adoptive parents are ordinarily resident in New Zealand; to ensure that all children, regardless of their age at adoption, have the same clear pathways to citizenship or immigration status; and to ensure that children’s rights are upheld during DNA testing.