New Zealand law recognises three forms of adult relationships: marriage, registered partnership (referred to in New Zealand as ‘civil union’), and unregistered cohabitation (referred to in New Zealand as ‘de facto ...

This chapter explains when and how the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA) applies to couples when their marriage, civil union or de facto relationship ends in separation or death. The author outlines the key features ...

On death there is an inevitable tension in succession law between property and family, between testamentary freedom and the deceased’s duty to provide for family members. This paper considers the relationship property ...

This chapter provides a brief account of the history of family property law in New Zealand from the nineteenth century to the present day, in the context of relationship property on death.

In New Zealand, the property consequences of relationship breakdown are regulated by the Property (Relationships) Act 1976, a code that imposes a default property-sharing regime on married spouses, civil union partners and ...

This chapter considers different methods used to identify the relationships that qualify for relationship property sharing in Western jurisdictions. In particular, the chapter considers both the ‘formal’ approach premised ...