Welcome changes to the Adoption Act to help prevent trafficking
The New Zealand Government has acted under urgency to protect children, passing the Adoption Amendment Bill into law and suspending unsafe international adoptions under section 17 of the Adoption Act 1955.
This urgent law change suspends unsafe international adoptions under section 17 of the Adoption Act 1955.
Why? Because loopholes in the law have allowed convicted abusers and traffickers to adopt children overseas and bring them to Aotearoa New Zealand — placing them at risk of exploitation once here. Until now, section 17 has been a loophole that bypassed safeguards like the Hague Convention.
By moving under urgency, Parliament has temporarily halted these unsafe adoptions while working towards a longer-term solution in the best interests of children. Notably, the pause does not apply to exempt countries, and adoptions under the Hague Convention remain unaffected.
World Vision welcomes this announcement as a positive and necessary step that prioritises the protection and best interests of tamariki. It shows that the government is committed to improving New Zealand’s response to trafficking and modern slavery and that it can move quickly when needed.
At the same time, this amendment should not take place in isolation. To truly protect children, reforms must be embedded within a comprehensive and coherent legal framework — one that aligns adoption law with New Zealand’s wider child protection, immigration, and anti-trafficking frameworks.
Together with our partners in the Human Trafficking Research Coalition (Tearfund, ECPAT, Hagar, and The Salvation Army), we are asking the Government to:
Read World Vision’s previous commentary on adoption cases here.
This urgent law change suspends unsafe international adoptions under section 17 of the Adoption Act 1955.
Why? Because loopholes in the law have allowed convicted abusers and traffickers to adopt children overseas and bring them to Aotearoa New Zealand — placing them at risk of exploitation once here. Until now, section 17 has been a loophole that bypassed safeguards like the Hague Convention.
By moving under urgency, Parliament has temporarily halted these unsafe adoptions while working towards a longer-term solution in the best interests of children. Notably, the pause does not apply to exempt countries, and adoptions under the Hague Convention remain unaffected.
World Vision welcomes this announcement as a positive and necessary step that prioritises the protection and best interests of tamariki. It shows that the government is committed to improving New Zealand’s response to trafficking and modern slavery and that it can move quickly when needed.
At the same time, this amendment should not take place in isolation. To truly protect children, reforms must be embedded within a comprehensive and coherent legal framework — one that aligns adoption law with New Zealand’s wider child protection, immigration, and anti-trafficking frameworks.
Together with our partners in the Human Trafficking Research Coalition (Tearfund, ECPAT, Hagar, and The Salvation Army), we are asking the Government to:
- Work closely with anti-trafficking experts to ensure reforms are effective and internationally credible.
- Consult meaningfully with Pacific communities, where kinship adoption practices are important and must be safeguarded.
- Provide clear, time-bound updates on reform progress so families and communities are kept informed.
Read World Vision’s previous commentary on adoption cases here.