This book is only available in PDF format

Published: 21 November
Pages: 505

From the Chair

Join us at the 2011 Family Law Conference – a conference with a difference. We started planning for a conference in late spring in Christchurch; flowers, nor’ westers, maybe even some spring skiing. But the earthquakes put paid to that and so we are off to a metropolis that is Auckland, a place with a functioning CBD; shops, tall buildings, and where people still have their own offices.

The conference has sessions designed to challenge, provoke and teach you. Highlights are bound to be the keynote address by Professor Jeremy Waldron, Dignity and respect within family law and the closing session by Dr Sandra Hacker, Dealing with difficult people. In between are sessions on some of the many challenging aspects of family law today, including a session on the yet to be released Ministry of Justice Review of the Family Court.

An innovation this year is the Sunday add-on workshop afternoon. This is a series of practical, hands-on sessions designed to improve our family law skills. We hope that in a no-fear environment, you will take the chance to learn new skills and polish old ones.  

Thanks to Sunday, we have two opportunities for conference socialising: pōwhiri and drinks hosted by the Family Law Section on Sunday, and the celebration conference dinner on Monday complete with special guests. Family law is social law. The conference is the best opportunity to catch up with old mates from uni, put a face to that difficult lawyer who has been causing you grief and meet someone completely new. This year we in Christchurch have been extremely grateful for the friendly collegiality from the rest of the family law bar. Enjoy it, cherish it and celebrate it in Auckland.

We are delighted to welcome as our guests to the dinner Dame Sian Elias, Sir Peter Trapski, Sir Patrick Mahony and Judge Boshier.

Finally, because of the mess, our Canterbury practices have taken a hit this year. Thanks to those of you from outside Christchurch who have responded with financial support for us and to those of you in Auckland who have opened up your homes. The Committee is delighted to offer Christchurch practitioners a special registration rate and accommodation opportunities. This is only possible thanks to the generosity of our colleagues. I urge my fellow Christchurch practitioners to take up the offers of help, have a break from the chaos and celebrate family being family lawyers.

Chair:  Stephen van Bohemen, Barrister, Christchurch

Content outline

• Keynote address: Dignity and respect within family law - what does it mean?
• Marshalling the evidence - beyond the "any evidence rule"
• Surrogacy in New Zealand: the legal process
• Surrogacy in New Zealand and comparable jurisdictions
• Professional support services - supervision
• After the wake - dividing the cake
• Will the truth out? - Sexual abuse cases in the Family Court
• Risk assessment
• Money, money, money; must be funny in a rich (wo)man's world - spousal maintenance
• State of the nation
• Relocation: "this town ain't big enough for the two of us"
• Shared time parenting and relocation - two ends of a complex specturm
• Valuing compensation claims
• Wiring the brain
• Equity and trusts in a family law context
• Appeals and judicial review in family law
• Section 21 agreements
• Section 21 and s 21A agreements - Property (Relationships) Act
• The things you learn in New World supermarket
• Unravelling the mystery: dealing with psychological evidence in care of children proceedings
• Breaking the cycle - child protection at the front line
• Dealing with difficult clients

View contents page

Authors

Chair: Stephen van bohemen.  Author(s): Trish Allen, Stephanie Ambler, His Hon Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier, Judge David Burns, Dr Andrew Butler, Margaret Casey, Anita Chan, Garry Collin, Rashi Gadekar, Lope Ginnen, Dr Sandra Hacker, Prof Mark Henaghan, Jane Hunter, Simon Jefferson, Lynda Kearns, Grey Kelly, Dr Patrick Kelly FRACP, Brendan Lyne, Antony Mahon, Andrea Manuel, Dr Jennifer McIntosh, Lynda Moore, Robb Newberry, Justice Mark O'Regan, Bill Patterson, Pete Roe, Dr Simon Rowley, Judge Paul von Dadelszen, Prof Jeremy Waldron, Justice John Wild