Ministry of Justice Adoption Law Reform – 2018 to present

Next year, 2025, will mark 70 years in which the Adoption Act 1955 has legally severed around 100,000 children from their families.

The impact of an adoption reaches far further than these 100,000 adopted people. There are around 200,000 natural parents who lost a child to adoption, potentially hundreds of thousands of siblings, 400,000 natural grandparents, and on it goes. 

There are now conceivably four generations of people who carry the legacy of disconnection from their family and whanau due the Adoption Act 1955. 

Justice delayed is justice denied  

Since Adoption Action was established in 2010, we have sought to meet with every Minister of Justice.  However, since June 2022, despite Adoption Action’s requests, the Hon Kiri Allan (Minister of Justice June 2022-July 2023), the Hon Ginny Anderson (Minister of Justice July 2023-November 2023) the Hon Paul Goldsmith (current Minister of Justice) and the Hon Nicole McKee (current Associate Minister of Justice) have not taken up the invitation meet with Adoption Action to discuss adoption law reform.

On 14 May 2024 Adoption Action received a reply from Hon Paul Goldsmith’s office stating that reform of the Adoption Act 1955 is “believed to be more closely connected with the portfolio responsibilities of the Associate Minister of Justice, Hon Nicole McKee.  We have transferred your matter onto the Office of the Associate Minister of Justice to consider.“

To date Adoption Action has not received a reply from Hon Nicole McKee about her understanding and views on adoption law reform.  Adoption Action will report back on this page when we have a response.  

Adoption Action is not aware of any progress on the law reform work or if a policy proposals report has been delivered to the Minister of Justice.

However, in its 2022/2023 Annual Report, Oranga Tamariki notes that the adoption law reform work is “now on hold“ (p36) 2022/2023 Annual report OT.

Still waiting – 70 years and counting

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But we have Open Adoption today don’t we?

Check out what Open Adoption means here.

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Ministry of Justice Adoption Law reform consultation 2021-2022

The Ministry of Justice Annual Reports indicate that work on adoption law reform began in 2020.  See page 24 of the 2020-21 report, page 28 of the 2021-2022 and page 19 of the 2022-2023.

The Ministry began consultation in 2021 with groups and individuals the Ministry identified as having an interest in adoption law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. Targeted consultation was also undertaken for the Ministry by MartinJenkins focusing on Māori, Samoan communities and young people. MartinJenkins December 2021 final report can be accessed here.

Concurrently, the Ministry engaged Malatest to undertake a series of focus groups to gather people’s views on what the future of adoption might look like.  The sections that comprise the Malatest report, Adoption Law Reform – a synthesis of focus group findings August 2022 are available in the sections below:

pages 1-11, pages 12-20, pages 21-30, pages 31-38, pages 39-47

The Ministry has published two consultation documents and two summary reports. The 2021 reports can be accessed here, and the 2022 reports can be accessed here.

Submissions to the Ministry of Justice Adoption Law Reform consultation 2021-2022 include: