June 20, 2021
Adoption law update looks at whangai
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi says a rewrite of the 66-year adoption law needs to take account of Māori and Pacific cultural pratices such as whāngai.
The Ministry of Justice has released a discussion document, Adoption in Aotearoa New Zealand, with public consultation running until the end of August.
Mr Faafoi says in the past closed adoptions have broken transmission of whakapapa.
Even in today’s more liberal approach there are problems with the status of birth parents, and whāngai parents don’t have legal standing, which can affect things like making decisions about education.
"I think if we can get a good understanding of different of different iwi hapū and what whāngai means to them then it's our job to make sure our laws get updated and look more like the families which have been reflected recently but also take into consideration cultural considerations like whāngai which have been happening for centuries," Minister Faafoi says
The review, along with work being done by the Law Commission, will also look at surrogacy.
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