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The Human Rights Commission has started hearing a claim brought by Adoption Action against New Zealand’s adoption laws.
The group is highlighting 10 areas it believes the laws breach the Human Rights Act and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, including their incompatibility with Maori values.
It says adoption is alien to deeply held Maori cultural values as it cuts off a child’s relationship with members of the whanau, hapu and iwi.
It has also identified discrimination based on gender, marital status, disability, age, and sexual orientation.
The group includes lawyers, social workers, academics and individuals who have suffered as a result of laws that are out of touch with current realities.
Spokesperson Robert Ludbrooke says the Adoption Act was
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