New Zealand

There is no publicly available government data on child marriage in New Zealand.

UNICEF and child and women’s rights activists have called for improved legislation to prevent forced and child marriages in New Zealand following reports of girls being married. Community groups such as Shakti, a Girls Not Brides member that works to reduce domestic violence in migrant communities, have provided anecdotal evidence of early and forced marriage occurring in New Zealand.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

While there is limited information on child marriage in New Zealand, evidence suggests that child marriage may be driven by:

Migration: Some reports point out that child and forced marriage in New Zealand have a migration motivation. For example, in 2019 it was revealed that New Zealand authorities had approved more than 20 partnership visas for child brides and grooms married or engaged to people living in New Zealand during the past decade. All the child brides and grooms were 16- or 17-years-old and most were from countries in the Middle East and Asia. Other times, the marriages reportedly take place overseas, and then are registered in New Zealand so the spouse can gain residency.

New Zealand has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The government submitted a 2019 Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum but there was no mention of child marriage. The government has not submitted a Voluntary National Review in any High Level Political Forum since 2019.

New Zealand has co-sponsored the following Human Rights Council resolutions: the 2013 resolution on child, early and forced marriage, the 2015 resolution to end child, early and forced marriage, recognising that it is a violation of human rights, the 2017 resolution recognising the need to address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian contexts, the 2019 resolution on the consequences of child marriage, the 2021 resolution on child, early and forced marriage in times of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 resolution on ending and preventing forced marriage.

New Zealand co-sponsored the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage. In 2014, New Zealand signed a joint statement at the Human Rights Council calling for a resolution on child marriage.

New Zealand ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993, which the Committee on the Rights of the Child has interpreted to recommend the establishment of a minimum age of marriage of 18, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1985, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

During its 2023 review, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child noted the 2018 amendment to the Marriage Act of 1955, which required judicial approval to marriages involving a 16-or-17-year-old. However, the Committee recommended that the government eliminate any exceptions to marriage below the age of 18 years.

During its 2016 review, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the government develop awareness-raising campaigns targeting households, local authorities, religious leaders, judges and prosecutors on the harmful effects of child marriage on the physical and mental wellbeing of girls.

During its 2018 review, the CEDAW Committee called on New Zealand to eliminate parental consent as a sufficient requirement to allow marriage below the age of 18.

During its Universal Periodic Review in 2019, New Zealand reported that government agencies have agreed to identify and support victims of forced and underage marriage.

Under the Marriage Amendment Act 2005 the minimum legal age of marriage is 18 years. However, a person aged 16 or 17 can be married with consent from a Family Court judge.

In August 2018 the Marriage (Court Consent to Marriage of Minors) Amendment Bill law was passed that gives children more protection against forced and early marriage. The new legislation aims to prevent forced marriages, mostly of 16 and 17-year-old girls, considered minors by the state. Prior to the passing of this law, consent was granted by the parents. The change also applies to civil unions and de facto relationships.