Suspension of Unsafe Overseas Adoption
On Tuesday (16 September} the Government announced it had suspended the recognition of certain overseas adoptions by New Zealand citizens and residents for citizenship and immigration purposes. The change takes effect from 18 September 2025.
This change comes about because of concerns that New Zealand’s international adoption laws do not provide sufficient safeguards and that adoptions granted in some countries do not consider the adoptive parents’ criminal or child protection history.
An Example
For example , New Zealand’s first slave dealer (convicted in 2020) had previous convictions for violence when he adopted three boys from overseas, withdrew them from school, locked them up and treated them as domestic servants. In 2022 the infamous Zirka Circus was investigated for child exploitation and six young acrobats were uplifted and returned to their parents in China. More recently in April 2025 the story broke of a 13 year old girl who had been brought to New Zealand and enslaved Saving Grace.​​
The concern follows growing migrant exploitation – including child exploitation and trafficking offences. In August Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said since 2009 more than 50 victims of trafficking had been identified in New Zealand yet only four prosecutions were taken and only two led to convictions.
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It is against this background the law changes to the Adoption Act have been made.
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The Government has taken steps to preserve overseas adoption pathways where it has been able to establish that they include adequate safeguards.
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The law change will not affect adoptions undertaken via the Hague Convention intercountry adoption process - see list of Exempt Countries.
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The Ministers of Immigration and Internal Affairs will retain their discretion to grant exemptions for citizenship and immigration purposes based on individual family circumstances.
You can read more here:
Targeted reforms of the international adoption system
Interim changes to visa applications for international adoptions: Immigration New Zealand
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