Our Contact Centre will be closed from 5pm on 24 December 2024, reopening at 8am on 3 January 2025. National Office (Aitken Street, Wellington) reception will be closed from 5pm on Friday 20 December, reopening at 8am on Monday 6 January 2025. For more information, see Court and Tribunal hours
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There are rules in the Family Court that you must follow. There are different forms and processes for different laws. Court staff can provide you with information about court forms and processes, but they can’t give you legal advice or tell you what kind of application you need to make.
These rules contain the forms and processes for proceedings under the following Acts which the Family Court deals with:
Family Court Rules 2002(external link)
Adoption Act 1955(external link)
Care of Children Act 2004(external link)
Child Support Act 1991(external link)
Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 (Children Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989) (external link)
Evidence Act 2006(external link)
Family Violence Act 2018(external link)
Family Proceedings Act 1980(external link)
Family Protection Act 1955(external link)
Law Reform (Testamentary Promises) Act 1949(external link)
Property (Relationships) Act 1976(external link)
Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988(external link)
If you want to read some examples of other Family Court cases, visit the Courts of New Zealand website. You’ll be able to search and find previous Family Court decisions, which may help you when preparing your own case.
Going to Family Court can be hard. It's normal to feel overwhelmed. There are services available to help and support through this time.
Visit our help page