Parents, guardians and caregivers
Responsibilities and dispute processes under the Care of Children Act
What this chapter covers
This chapter provides information about the legal responsibilities of parents and guardians and about the legal processes that are available for resolving disputes between them.
The chapter covers:
- the Family Court and its processes
- guardianship of children, including who a child’s guardians are and the guardians’ responsibilities
- care arrangements when parents have separated, including how to apply for a parenting order if there’s a dispute about day-to-day care or contact
- parents moving (“relocating”) within New Zealand, and abduction of children from New Zealand
- child support, including when a parent is responsible for paying child support and how the amount is calculated
- paternity (fatherhood), and how the paternity of a child can be legally established
- termination (abortion) law
- adoption, including who can adopt and how the adoption process works.