This book is only available in PDF format

Authors: Amanda Donovan, Jennie Hawker
Published: 5 June 2015
Pages: 76

Introduction

Family Court Judge Burns noted in a paper in 2002¹ that when he was at law school he was told that the definition of a marriage was “a union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, for life”.

Times have changed and more and more people wish to enter into marriage agreements contracting out of all or some of the equal sharing provisions of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (the Act). Socio-economic changes mean that more people will marry for a second time, women are returning to the workforce after having children, women are in higher paid jobs and the extension of the Act now includes de facto couples. There is no longer a traditional norm. A “one size fits all” regime is not appropriate. As such, the contracting out provisions of the Act have become more relevant for more people.

_____________________________
¹ Auckland District Law Society – CLE Contracting-Out Agreements and The Property (Relationships) Act Burns, McCarthy, Pendleton, 8 October 2002.
 

Content outline

• Procedural requirements - formalities
• Duty of care
• Complying with the procedural requirements for an overseas client
• Validating a defunct agreement - s 21H
• Serious injustice - s 21J
• Jurisdictional issues
• Section 15 - in, out or silent?
• Defeating creditors - s 47
• Section 22 agreements and trust property - fraught?
• Clauses to consider