Improving the law for dividing property when relationships end - Have your say
Links have been added for: This page, review page, public consultation page, Christchurch event page
When should the law treat two people as a couple? What property should they share if they break up and what property should only belong to one of them?
New Zealand has changed a lot in the last forty years, including how relationships and families are formed, how they function and what happens when relationships end.
The Law Commission is reviewing the 40-year-old Property (Relationships) Act 1976, which sets the rules for how to divide a couple’s property at the end of a relationship, and they want to hear your views.
The Law Commission has developed a paper, Dividing Relationship Property: Time for Change? - Te mātaatoha rawa tokorau – Kua eke te wā? This paper asks New Zealanders how the law could be better. You can view the Issues Paper and summary document, and access online consultation platform, from 16 October on this website.
A series of public meetings is being held around the country. Members of the Law Commission will be available to answer your questions and hear your feedback on the Issues Paper.
Some of the questions the Commission is asking are:
Does the law apply to the right relationships?
Is the right property being shared?
What should happen when trusts are used to hold property?
What should happen if one person is financially worse-off after their relationship ends?
Is tikanga Māori recognised?
How should the law meet the interests of children?
How can the law be inexpensive, simple and speedy while still being just?
Should the same law that applies when a couple separates also apply when one partner dies?
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Cleaner required.
Cleaner required for Central City restaurant. 5 days a week , Wednesday to Sunday . Usually takes around 3 hours. I’m flexible on time . 9-12, 10-1. Whatever suits!
28 dollars per hour… experience would be great but not essential. Ideally the candidate needs to be physically fit, as it’s a fairly big venue. Anyone interested please email me
paul@twentysevensteps.co.nz
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Loading…
