$62m boost for Family Court reform

The Government has injected $62 million into a new law to support parents dealing with separation and child custody disputes.

The funding, which will start reform of the Family Court, is part of the Budget’s $50 billion fund to respond to the coronavirus crash, of which $16b was allocated on Thursday and $14b already spent.

Justice Minister Andrew Little said the legislation would go a long way towards helping resolve custody disputes and would significantly reduce pressure on families and the court.

He told a backlog of about 4000 applications before the level 4 lockdown was now expected to be about 8500.

The omnibus legislation, passed yesterday, will restore the right to early legal representation and allow for the provision of legal aid.

The funding would be used to establish family justice liaison officers and provide more information and resources, to help parents and wha¯ nau navigate the system.

Remuneration for lawyers for children will also be increased to incentivise recruitment and retention.

The law, which was opposed by the National Party and ACT, follows a review of the family justice system last year that found the Family Court was ‘‘no longer fit for purpose’’.

In April 2018, Little established an independent panel to examine the 2014 family justice reforms, brought in by the National Government, after finding they were not working as intended.

It was the third review into the Family Court in less than a decade.

‘‘Instead, we have seen a significant increase in the number of urgent ‘without notice’ applications made to the Family Court in order that parties can access the legal advice they need,’’ Little said yesterday.

The previous law had resulted in an increase in the urgent applications from 30 per cent in 2014 to the current 70 per cent, he said.

Little said the 2014 law was wellintentioned in trying to get more agreement between separating couples, but it had underestimated the emotional impact on people.

The package was only the beginning of overdue changes, with the next phase focussing on better protection of children’s rights, he said.

Law changes planned for later this year aimed to support youths, enhance participation in proceedings and expand lawyers’ duties.

Little said he was committed to taking action to ensure New Zealanders had a Family Court that was safe for participants, sensitive to their needs, and where every party had their voice heard fairly and appropriately.

‘‘We want families and wha¯ nau to be well-supported with early advice so issues can be fairly and expeditiously resolved.’’