Turner seeks justice for men

UnitedFuture deputy leader Judy Turner says a blatant anti-male gap in New Zealand law needs to be urgently addressed.

She says “During a select committee hearing submissions on the Family Courts Matters Bill, the Law Society queried why the Bill had overlooked the need for the Family Proceedings Act to provide a legislative mechanism to allow fathers to determine through DNA the paternity of a child.

“The Law Society made a range of salient points. Firstly they pointed out how unreasonable it is that currently only mothers can apply for paternity orders.

“Only if the mother is dead or has abandoned her child can someone else apply to the Court for this to be clarified. They pointed out that this leaves unaddressed a number of human right issues, not only for the child under the United Nations Rights of the Child (UNROC) and Care of Children Act, but also the "father".

“I have drafted a Members Bill based on recommendations from the Law Commission and approached the Minister Rick Barker during the design of this bill to have him consider including it.

“He turned me down. I can't understand why the government is dragging the chain on this matter.

“Fathers paying child support for children they are unsure they are the father of have no way of determining their liability, and men who believe they are the father of a child and who want to act responsibly in their regard are unable to establish their paternity. It’s daft.”

ENDS

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