CHRONOLOGY OF INACTION OF SUCCESSIVE GOVERNMENTS IN THE REFORM OF ADOPTION LAWS OVER THE LAST 46 YEARS
Robert Ludbrook prepared a chronology for Adoption Action to demonstrate successive governments’ lack of action reforming Aotearoa New Zealand’s adoption laws and policies.
The chronology can be accessed on Adoption Action’s website and is updated by the Adoption Action Committee.
Note: Since the final entry in Adoption Action’s chronology (dated 13 May 2023) two further events have occurred:
24 JULY 2023: The Minister of Justice Kiritapu Allan resigned from her role as Minister of Justice after being arrested and charged with careless use of a motor vehicle, refusing to accompany a police officer, and having an excess breath alcohol level. This event occurred 11 weeks before the 2023 general election. In a statement on 24 July 2023 Kiri Allan said she ‘… let myself and my colleagues down’. However, no mention of, or apology to, the people impacted by adoption who have also been let down by her actions on 23 July 2023, or by her inaction to progress with adoption law reform since taking up the Justice portfolio 13 months previous.
2 JUNE 2023: The Ministry of Justice have altered the information on their website relating to when reform proposals will be with the Minister for consideration. Prior to 2 June 2023 the following timeframe was published on the Ministry of Justice website: ‘ The Ministry of Justice is using the feedback from both rounds of engagement to refine adoption policy proposals. The Ministry intends to provide advice to the Minister of Justice, Hon Kiri Allan, on a final package of proposals in the first half of 2023.’
From 2 June 2023 the altered timeframe was published on the Ministry of Justice website: ‘ The Ministry of Justice is using the feedback from both rounds of engagement to refine adoption policy proposals and will provide advice to the Minister of Justice in due course.’