News and views

New Zealand has changed significantly over the last half-century. The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 was drafted at a time when couples generally married young and pooled their resources to buy a house as early as they could, a time when ABBA’s ‘Fernando’ topped the national charts and Fred Dagg and Footrot Flats made Kiwis laugh out loud.

It might be more than 40 years old, but recent research reveals a concerning lack of understanding still prevails around who gets what under the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 in the event of a break-up or one partner dying.

With lengthening life expectancies, better health in later years, and increasing divorce rates, it’s not surprising we’re seeing more “twilight relationships” blossom.

Contributions by family members to the purchase of a property and how this is recorded can affect property ownership. We discuss how you can help your children and, at the same time, lessen the risks to you as parents.

When a marriage, civil union or de facto relationship breaks down, the couple will usually divide their property according to the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (the PRA). However, these two people often hold property in a trust rather than personally.

Once largely the domain of the well-heeled, personalised agreements about what will happen to assets in a relationship should a couple separate, or one partner die, are becomingly increasingly mainstream.

It’s three years since the much-publicised Family Court reforms were introduced – and the changes are still taking some families by surprise.

If you ask people, as I have, what they understand a family lawyer’s key role to be, chances are the answer will revolve around filing oodles of divorce applications – something I, indeed, do … every now and then.