Planned reforms to the Family Court need to focus on the right issues, argues men's rights advocate Craig Jackson.

Powerful women's domestic violence lobby groups have already spoken out strongly about changes to the domestic violence legislation which are part and parcel of a number of other far-reaching changes to our Family Court. These include the intended repeal of clause 60, a repeal many would welcome as it is repugnant to natural justice. At present,...

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Ministry of Justice staff insisted everything was fine and morale was high within the Family Court in Auckland, even as judges and lawyers described a system in chaos, official papers show. The Sunday Star-Times revealed in August how a new centralised processing system for the courts in Auckland had led to serious delays and huge backlogs within the Family Court, with the Law Society warning it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously hurst, or worse. Cases involving domes...

Judith Collins' announcement today that the legislation restricting access to the Family Court has raised concerns that it has been timed to avoid proper parliamentary scrutiny, Labour’s Charles Chauvel says. "I have had many messages of concern today from family lawyers, providers of counselling services, and others with expertise in the way the Family Court works. They are worried that the legislation being introduced today will be read a first time and then referred to a select committee on one ...

In 2004, the controversial Family Court was going through a rough patch. Nelson MP Nick Smith had become the first MP to be convicted of contempt of court after publicly accusing it of robbing a couple of their child. Men's rights groups were also incensed, complaining the mysterious court favoured women and unfairly separated fathers from their children. At the time, the man who had stepped into the principal Family Court judge's shoes was unable to answer the criticism.Judge Peter Boshier...