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 off.

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 is able to gain residency.

New Zealand has committed to eliminate 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.

New Zealand has signed the 2021 Human Rights Council resolution on Child, Early and Forced Marriage in times of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Zealand co-sponsored the 2013 Human Rights Council resolution on child, early and forced marriage, the 2017 Human Rights Council resolution recognising the need to address child, early and forced marriage in humanitarian contexts, and the 2015 Human Rights Council resolution to end child, early and forced marriage, recognising that it is a violation of human rights. In 2019, New Zealand co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution under the theme of consequences of child marriage.

New Zealand co-sponsored the 2013, 2014 and 2018 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 sets 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 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.

In its Concluding Observations in 2018, 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 the 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 of mostly girls, aged 16 and 17, considered minors by the state. Previously to the passing of this law, consent was granted by the parents. The change also applies to civil unions and de facto relationships.