Figures released under Family Court reforms; election forum on Family Court to be held

Justice Minister Judith Collins has released the first figures under the Government’s Family Court reforms. Since the reforms came into effect on 31 March 2014, 562 assessments for the new Family Disputes Resolution (FDR) mediation service have been completed. Another 530 are in progress. Of the 122 mediations completed, 87 (71%) have resolved all matters in dispute between parties, without going to court. The number of Guardianship applications to the Family Court has dropped from 481 to 231 per week. Further information on the new system is available on the Ministry of Justice - Family Justice website.

A Women, Children and the Family Court election forum is being held on Tuesday 9 September 2014 in Auckland. It will be 10am-12 noon in Room 404, Engineering Building, 20 Symonds St, University of Auckland. Dr Vivienne Elizabeth will present, then political party representatives will briefly discuss their party’s policy with regards to providing families with justice in the Family Court. The speakers are below:

Chair: The Rt Hon Sir Edmund Thomas QC
Speakers:
Dr Vivienne Elizabeth, Senior Lecturer, Sociology, University of Auckland
National Party - Scott Simpson, MP, Chair, Justice and Electoral Committee
Labour Party - Andrew Little, MP and Spokesperson for Justice
Green Party - David Clendon, MP and Spokesperson for Justice
Māori Party - Susan Cullen, candidate
Mana Internet Party - Miriam Pierard, candidate

The forum has been organised by Women's Health Action and Auckland Women's Centre.

Media:

Parents empowered to settle out of court, Beehive: Judith Collins, 29.07.2014

Family Justice System—Reports, Press Release: Hansard, Scoop, 29.07.2014

Image: Scales Licence: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication