What Has Happened to Surrogacy in New Zealand
Tuesday March 18, 2025

What Has Happened to Surrogacy in New Zealand

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

In this video, Page Provan Director, Stephen Page, steps beyond Australia’s borders to discuss the complex world of surrogacy in New Zealand.

If you’re considering surrogacy in New Zealand, brace yourself for a challenging legal journey. Unlike in Australia, surrogacy laws in New Zealand operate under an outdated Adoption Act from the 1950s, creating a bureaucratic maze that can make the process incredibly difficult.

  • Gestational vs. Traditional Surrogacy – The differences and legal hurdles
  • Committee Approval – A major roadblock for gestational surrogacy
  • Adoption Laws – Why intended parents must undergo an intrusive assessment
  • International Surrogacy – Why Kiwis still face adoption requirements even when pursuing surrogacy overseas
  • Proposed Law Reforms – How New Zealand’s Law Commission is pushing for change

The good news? A 2024 Law Commission review may finally modernize New Zealand’s surrogacy laws and bring them closer to international best practices. Will New Zealand automatically recognize intended parents without forcing them into an adoption process? Time will tell.

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Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board