Petition · Ministry of Justice
Review and reform child custody arrangements
Closed
321 signatures
What the petition asks
Change the default child custody contact arrangements to be 50/50 shared contact and living. We feel that the current system leads to disputes and can leave children without access to one parent.
We would like the law changed to reflect the following:
Shared care/ live to be the default position
No primary carer
Emergency Court Hearings for cessation of contact
Stricter penalties for parents violating court orders and proven false allegations to result in contact ceasing
Fund more contact centres
Shared care/ live to be the default position
No primary carer
Emergency Court Hearings for cessation of contact
Stricter penalties for parents violating court orders and proven false allegations to result in contact ceasing
Fund more contact centres
Timeline
| 24 Feb 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Aug 2025 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
321
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
24 Feb 2025
Closed
24 Aug 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 5 Aug 2026.