Caritas backs move to stop unsafe adoptions

Parliament passed an immediate change to New Zealand’s adoption laws last week, progressing the Adoption Amendment Bill through all stages under urgency.

Radio New Zealand reported that the law change is intended as a temporary fix, in response to what the Government says are unsafe adoption settings. The pause will run until July 1, 2027 at the latest, with the Government expecting to have a longer-term replacement regime in place before then, according to The Spinoff.

Radio New Zealand reported that the Minister in charge of the bill, Nicole McKee, said during the Bill’s first reading that the law did not have enough protections and, because of this, “some children and young people adopted from overseas end up facing neglect, abuse or exploitation here in New Zealand”.

Much of the harm has come from Section 17 of the Adoption Act 1955, which creates a back-door pathway by recognising adoptions from countries outside the Hague Convention system, the Spinoff article noted. That has enabled New Zealanders to adopt through foreign courts or customary processes without the pre-adoption scrutiny applied under the Hague rules. 

Caritas research on human trafficking has highlighted how gaps in New Zealand’s laws have left children and young people vulnerable.

“For years we have called for stronger protections,” noted Caritas, the New Zealand bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development.

“This pause in adoptions is a welcome step, but it also highlights the need for stronger safeguards and reform. Without proper oversight, children and young adults can be exploited through adoption pathways, sometimes under the guise of family arrangements. It is essential that New Zealand builds a child-centred system that prioritises protection over convenience,” Caritas continued.

Research by Caritas was quoted in a story on The Spinoff website.

“A separate but related issue involves flaws in the Crimes Act. The law’s definition of human trafficking says it must have been carried out via deception and/or coercion. As explained by Caritas, the Pacific-focused Catholic NGO, that standard is out of step with international norms and can make child-trafficking prosecutions harder, since children can still be exploited without being deceived or coerced.”

Caritas noted that the Government announced last month that it intended to make changes to the Crimes Act in this regard.

FULL STORY

The government has announced an urgent pause on unsafe overseas adoptions (Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand/Facebook)

Government passes adoption bill under urgency (Radio New Zealand)

Why the government is urgently halting ‘unsafe’ overseas adoptions (The Spinoff)