New Zealand: Co-Parenting Resources
Find official courts, forms, legal help, mediation and family support for parents in New Zealand. Check the local service for your situation.
Start with safety
If anyone is in immediate danger, call Police on 111. If a child may be taken overseas without agreement, or family violence makes discussion unsafe, read the Ministry of Justice's urgent-help guidance and seek suitable help promptly.
International child travel and relocation questions
The Ministry of Justice says a child's legal guardians, or everyone named in a Parenting or Guardianship Order, must agree before the child is taken overseas. A court can sometimes give permission when they do not all agree. Check the actual orders and guardianship position before making travel plans. A New Zealand child passport can be issued with consent from one parent or guardian. Having a passport does not settle whether the child may travel under family-law arrangements. If you are worried about a child leaving without agreement, the Ministry explains Orders Preventing Removal. It also says a border alert is a separate request: an order alone does not notify border staff. If a child has already been taken or kept across a border, the Hague Convention may offer a return process in some circumstances, but return is not automatic. A move within New Zealand can also affect existing care arrangements; check the order and seek advice before changing them.
Changing or enforcing existing parenting arrangements
A Parenting Order sets court-ordered care or contact arrangements. The Family Court cannot enforce a private parenting plan as if it were a Parenting Order. If an order is not being followed, the Ministry describes ways to resolve the issue safely and how to ask the Family Court about enforcement. Where safety is at risk, read the urgent-help guidance before considering discussion or mediation. If an order no longer works, the court can consider a change. The official route depends in part on whether everyone named in the order agrees. An informal understanding should not be assumed to change the order itself. Costs and time depend on the kind of request and the case. Check the current Ministry pages and get legal help for your circumstances; this page does not select an application or predict an outcome.