A 64-year-old New Zealand law is barring a New Zealand couple living in Thailand from adopting.
The couple has lived in Thailand for six years.
Thailand adoption laws don’t match criteria for adoption under New Zealand’s 1995 Adoption Act.
This has effectively barred the couple from adopting a child.
After spending a large amount of time caring for abandoned, orphaned and disabled children in a Bangkok children’s home, the couple decides they wanted to adopt a child.
Despite spending a year filling out applications, collecting references, proven their financial soundness, taking psychiatric tests, and undergoing medical assessments, the couple was denied the right to adopt a child in Thailand.
The reason?
Well, under New Zealand adoption regulations, they are unable to get one document from the government “certifies the eligibility of an adopted child to enter into NZ, and the legalization of the adoption under the concerned law of NZ.”
Basically, this means that New Zealand laws require that rights of inheritance must be specified when adopting.
Thai adoption laws don’t provide for this, meaning the government of New Zealand cannot grant an adoption of Kiwi citizens living in Thailand.
“New Zealand’s adoption laws are out of date, and I have my own concerns that they no longer represent modern attitudes and practice,” said New Zealand Justice Minister Andrew Little.
Just last week, 30,000 people signed a petition asking the parliament to reform the New Zealand adoption laws.
Read the full story here.
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