Family Proceedings Act 1980

Introduction

You could also call this:

"Rules for When People Get Married, Live Together, or Separate"

Illustration for Family Proceedings Act 1980

This law is about changing the rules for things that happen when people get married or live together. You will see changes to how the law handles problems that come up in these situations. The law wants to make sure it is fair and works well for everyone involved. The law covers many areas, including what happens when people get divorced or separated. You might be wondering what will happen to the children, the house, or the money when this occurs. This law tries to make these situations clearer and easier to understand. When people have problems, they often go to court to sort them out. This law explains how the court will handle these problems and what will happen next. It is all about making sure everyone is treated fairly and that the law is applied in a consistent way.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM39722.


Highlights from this law




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1: Short Title and commencement, or

"What the Family Proceedings Act 1980 is and when it starts"

Family Proceedings Act 1980

Reprint as at:
2025-10-17
Assent:
1981-01-21
Commencement:
see section 1(2), (3)

The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Justice.


An Act to revise the law relating to matrimonial and domestic proceedings