Surrogacy is when a surrogate carries a baby to term on behalf of intending parents, and instead of the intended mother. If you are an individual or couple planning on using a surrogate, you will need to legally adopt the child once it has been born, in order to get parental rights.

At Lawhub, we can help you lodge your application for adoption with the Family Court, and collate all the necessary paperwork including consent from the birth mother and her partner (if applicable).

Paternity is about establishing who the father of a child is. If paternity is contested, we can help you apply to the Family Court to have the matter resolved,

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There are two ways in which the Family Court can establish paternity:

• The mother of a child can ask the court to make a Paternity Order to say that a man is her child’s father
• A person can ask the court to make a Declaration of Paternity to declare that a man is (or is not) a child’s father

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Once paternity has been determined by the court, the child’s father can apply for guardianship of the child and to have contact with the child, and may be liable for child support. If you need help with a paternity matter, get in touch with our Family Law team who can guide you through it.

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The Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 (“PPPR Act”) aims to protect the personal and property rights of people who cannot fully manage their own affairs.

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If one of your loved ones has lost capacity, and does not have an estate in place, our team of trusted family law advisors can make an application to the Family Court on your behalf, for the Court to formally appoint a family member to act on behalf of them.

If you are wanting to relocate with your child to another city or town in New Zealand and your child's other parent does not consent to this, please get in touch with our team for advice and help with applying to the Family Court for a guardianship direction and a parenting order. If you're in the other position, where your child's other parent is the one who is wanting to relocate with your child, we can also assist you with your application for these orders.

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If there is an existing parenting order already in place prior to this, we can help you apply for a variation to it.

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If Oranga Tamariki are wanting to bring your child under the child protection laws and monitor what’s happening with your child, they’ll first need to go in front of a Family Court Judge and apply for official court orders.

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Because you are the parent, you’ll be given a copy of Oranga Tamariki’s application for care or Protection Orders and will also be notified when the case is going to be seen in the Family Court.

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When this happens, it’s important to seek legal advice straight away. Our family law team can support you through the proceedings — helping you to understand your rights and find a resolution. 

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Coming to an agreement about parenting arrangements after you have separated from your partner can be stressful and difficult. 

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If parents are unable to agree on things themselves, the Family Court will establish a Parenting Order to outline who has day-to-day care of your child/children, and what the contact rules of each parent will be. 

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If your relationship has recently split up, our family law team can guide you through the steps you need to take and can negotiate arrangements on your behalf, to come to a resolution that works for all parties involved, and is best for your children.

A legal guardian is defined as an adult who has the same responsibilities as a biological parent — they are responsible for the care and upbringing of a child and make decisions regarding the child’s life. 

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The biological parents of a child are automatically legal guardians of a child at birth, and will both remain legal guardians even if they separate. 

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If you are a parent wanting to appoint another adult as a guardian, such as a new partner or grandparent, our family law team can guide you through this process with the Family Court. 

Child support is designed to ensure that both parents are financially supporting the child fairly after separation. If you have separated from your partner, and have children, your parenting arrangements may mean that your children spend the majority of their time living with one parent than the other. 

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You can apply for child support if the child is predominantly living with you and you are the primary carer for them.

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If you are needing to apply for child support or would like to understand more about child support payments, our family law team can provide legal advice and can guide you through the application process with IRD. 

Family violence includes physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse that is inflicted by a family member.

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If you or a dependant are currently experiencing violence from someone you have a family relationship with, please get in touch with our team immediately so that we can work with the police and courts to help keep you and your children safe. 

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The Police can issue a temporary Police Safety Order, and a judge can issue a longer-lasting Protection Order.