On 24 March 2020, the Principal Family Court Judge, Judge Jacquelyn Moran, released a statement of guidance around the many questions posed for children in shared care and how this works with COVID-19.
February has always been a stressful month for parents and children going back to school. But March is proving even more stressful with the threat of self-isolation looming for many parents of school-age children.
A recent news story on the front page of the stuff.co.nz website featured two Wellington couples who were selling their dream home after owning and living in it together for seven years. One comment suggested the story normalised the fact that “housing is now unaffordable for most Kiwis.” The story also normalised the fact that the current generation are more open to property sharing than in the past.
When a relationship comes to an end, the divvying up of relationship property is no walk in the park. Often it can take months, if not years, for disagreements to be resolved. It’s an emotionally charged time, and it doesn’t help that the law in this area has some relatively blurred lines when it comes to the division of relationship property.
New Zealand has changed significantly over the last half-century. The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 was drafted at a time when couples generally married young and pooled their resources to buy a house as early as they could, a time when ABBA’s ‘Fernando’ topped the national charts and Fred Dagg and Footrot Flats made Kiwis laugh out loud.
It might be more than 40 years old, but recent research reveals a concerning lack of understanding still prevails around who gets what under the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 in the event of a break-up or one partner dying.
With lengthening life expectancies, better health in later years, and increasing divorce rates, it’s not surprising we’re seeing more “twilight relationships” blossom.
Contributions by family members to the purchase of a property and how this is recorded can affect property ownership. We discuss how you can help your children and, at the same time, lessen the risks to you as parents.