Skip To Main Content

New Zealand Legislation: Acts

Acts are laws made by Parliament

Adoption (Intercountry) Act 1997

Public Act	1997 No 109
Date of assent	17 December 1997

Note

This Act is administered in the Ministry of Justice

Contents

1 Short Title and commencement

2 Interpretation

3 Act binds the Crown

Part 1
Intercountry adoption

4 Convention to have force of law

5 New Zealand Central Authority

6 Delegation of functions

7 Chief executive must offer choice of report-writing service

8 Authority for New Zealand accredited bodies to act overseas

9 Authority for overseas accredited bodies to act in New Zealand

10 Approval of placement

11 Recognition of Convention adoptions

12 Termination of pre-existing legal parent-child relationships

13 Access to information

14 Certificate of Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Part 2
New Zealand accredited bodies

15 New Zealand accredited bodies

16 Application for accreditation

17 Grant of accreditation

18 Declining of application for accreditation

19 Suspension and revocation of accreditation

21 Accredited bodies to report annually

22 Assessment of accredited bodies

23 Change of principal officer to be notified

Part 3
Miscellaneous provisions

Amendments to Adoption Act 1955

25 Recognition of overseas adoptions

26 Prohibition of payments

27 Restriction upon advertisements

Amendments to Citizenship Act 1977

29 Special provisions relating to parentage

Amendment to Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act 1995

30 Registration of overseas adoptions

An Act—

(a) To implement in the law of New Zealand the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption; and

(b) To provide for the approval of organisations as accredited bodies to whom functions may be delegated under the Convention; and

(c) To make other provision for intercountry adoption and other matters related to adoption

BE IT ENACTED by the Parliament of New Zealand as follows: