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
Court orders for family violence
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The Family Court can change or cancel a court order. To apply, you must be named as either the applicant or respondent in the original order.
To cancel a Protection Order, the Court must believe there is no longer a risk to any of the protected people.
Who is included in a Protection Order
If you want to change or cancel a Protection Order, you may find it helpful to talk to a lawyer.
You’ll need to submit a copy of any related court orders – this may be a Temporary or Final Protection Order, a Property Order or a Furniture Order.
You’ll need to submit an information sheet and affidavit with your application.
Applications and information sheets
A lawyer can help you apply for court orders and they may also represent you in court.
You must complete all of the following.
General affidavit form [PDF, 198 KB]
Information sheet [PDF, 217 KB]
You need a BLUE or BLACK ballpoint pen if you choose to fill out the forms by hand.
If you want to add, change, or cancel conditions relating to weapons, you need to complete the following application form.
To have the forms sent to you, freephone the Ministry of Justice on 0800 224 733. You can also pick them up from the court.
You must print the forms single sided.
Your application must include:
You can file your application electronically, by post, or in person. When you file your application, it must have the original signatures. You must file your application at the correct courthouse. If you file your application in person or by post, you’ll need to provide enough exact copies for everyone named as a party to your application and keep a copy for yourself.
Court staff will contact you if they need more information.
There is no court filing fee for this application.
After you apply, the Court will try to give a copy of your application to the other people named in your application. They’ll have between 21 – 50 days to respond, depending on where they live.
If they respond, you’ll be given a copy of their response.
If the Court can’t contact the other people named in your application or they choose not to respond, a judge may:
The time it takes for your case to be finalised in court depends on the following.
If you want to know how long your case may take, talk to your lawyer. If you don’t have a lawyer, visit our legal help and support page to understand where you can find legal help.
There are services available if you need help or support for family violence.
Visit our help page to find specialist family violence support