Submission to the Ministry of Justice: Adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand Adoption Law Reform

The current Adoption Act 1955 has not been reformed in 66 years. We applaud the Government for the reform process underway that recognises the need to look at adoption in the context of 2021 and beyond.

We agree with the six objectives listed in the discussion document that have been created to shape the development of adoption law in Aotearoa. In particular, we support the need to align laws with te Tiriti o Waitangi (te Tiriti), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Children’s Convention), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

We challenge the Government to be bold and to leave no stone unturned in considering all options in reviewing adoption laws. We believe this should include questioning whether or not an Adoption Act is required at all.