SpeechFAMILY PROCEEDINGS (DISSOLUTION FOR FAMILY VIOLENCE) AMENDMENT BILLFirst ReadingANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour): I move That the Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Justice Committee to consider the bill. On the last member's bill day of the 53rd Parliament it is my honour and utter privilege to rise for the first reading of this bill in my name the Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This bill has its origins in the work that I have done in the family violence space for many years. I've volunteered I've worked in paid employment both as a domestic violence Act adviser and managed Tauranga Women's Refuge and I also grew up in a home where family violence was present.The violence I experienced growing up has shaped my life's work to break the silence the shame the stigma and the myths of family violence. May my voice in this House give courage to others that they are not alone. One in three women are affected by violence in their lifetime. One in four women are affected by sexual violence in their lifetime. Disabled people report significantly higher rates of intimate partner violence than those without disabilities. Our rainbow community are more than twice as likely to experience intimate partner violence. We have the worst statistics for family violence in the OECD. Our police force spends 50 percent of their time on family violence; in 2022 there were over 175000 investigations. Our families are harmed. Murder of women and children and men happens with shocking regularity and we live steeped in a society where the gendered nature of men's violence against women and children is in every walk of life social strata ethnicity and age group. However we also have world-leading legislation that supports a wider definition of violence" than in many countries. We have a community that calls for help from the police and intervenes. We have an exceptional strategy in Te Aorerekura which seeks to eliminate family and sexual violence. We have a Minister focused on the work and a joint venture Te Puna Aonui across the whole of Government to ensure work has progressed across the State sector to support the community to live free of violence. There has been record investment in the front-line expert services in the last six years to ensure that they are able to focus on the prevention and intervention of family violence.So we now come to the origins of this bill and the reasons why I want it to progress. When I was first an MP a woman came to see me. She told me of her horrific experiences being married to a very violent man. He hurt her physically broke her bones cut her isolated her drugged her sexually assaulted her hurt her pets abused her children held her captive systematically stripped her of her rights and her sense of self. She finally fled and he was eventually held to account for his violence and was jailed. Throughout his stay in prison she remained married to him and terrified of his release date. She knew that her tormentor would further abuse her when released but she was afraid to file for divorce. Upon release he did indeed stalk her destroyed her credit rating and took it upon himself to systematically degrade her online and in public. When she eventually built up the courage to file for divorce while in hiding and terrified he would find her he went to ground as a tactic of abuse and could not be found to have the divorce papers served and it took her an incredibly long time to divorce him. It cost her financially and emotionally; and remember she remained terrified that he would find and kill her as he promised to do.She came to me years later strong fierce and rebuilt to ask why since he had been so violent and abusive did she have to wait two years to get free of him? Remaining married to him including the time it took to get the divorce caused her fear and anxiety and destroyed her credit rating by using their joint names and their marital status and he kept her at his mercy. I do not forget that story and her experience.Fast forward to 2021 and Ashley Jones and her petition to "Change our archaic divorce laws" so abuse victims can be free of their abuser. I mihi to you Ashley here in the gallery. You've risen above your experience to make a change for all victims and survivors of violence. Thank you Ashley for bringing your petition.While Ashley was bringing this petition I was coincidentally working quietly away on this legislation. I made contact with Ashley to let her know I was in the last draft stages of this bill. Ashley your story of abuse and frustration was the final piece of motivation for me to lodge my bill into the ballot. Thank you for sharing your story with us and for your strength.To Chris Bishop thank you for your work with Amber to support her to bring this petition and indeed to all the members of this House who will support this bill at first reading. Family and sexual violence should be universally condemned by all here and we should all work together towards ending the legacy of hurt. Divorce decree nisi and dissolution orders in New Zealand have an interesting history. The Family Proceedings Act 1980 set up the Family Court which became a closed and private court and resulted in no-fault dissolution—a far cry from the distasteful voyeurism previously experienced. We now have a very simple no-fault divorce system. This means that the couple wanting to end their relationship by a dissolution order—a divorce—have to meet a set of basic criteria. Once met if both agree or despite one of the parties not agreeing a dissolution order is possible. Divorce or dissolution for marriage and civil unions have two criteria in the Family Proceedings Act: that there are ir-re—I knew that I would do this—irreconcilable differences and those differences are evidenced by a separation of two years. My bill seeks to amend the primary legislation by removing the mandatory period of two years from separation where there is clear evidence of family violence thus taking away an opportunity to further abuse the victim/survivor.There are a few clauses but I'll focus on the important ones. My bill amends the Family Proceedings Act in the following ways: clause 4 amends section 38 which is the powers of the registrar to make an order for dissolution of a marriage or civil union where the application is uncontested. Family violence becomes a ground for dissolution by an accompanying affidavit. Clause 6 inserts new section 39 which is the real essence of this bill and states "(1) Despite section 39 an application for an order dissolving a marriage or civil union may be made on the ground that a party … has been the victim of family violence inflicted by the other party." The grounds are established if they are "a protected person under a protection order or under a registered foreign protection order; and (b) the other party is the respondent"—i.e. the violent person.Further the bill describes the evidence needed for how that would be proved. The evidence needed is either the copy of the decision or a copy of the order—so quite simple. "(4) Where the ground … is established the court shall … make an order dissolving the marriage or civil union." To avoid doubt which is a favourite clause of mine there is no requirement for the parties to live apart for two years for that ground to be established."Madam Speaker members of this House this is a relatively small bill which covers those married or in a civil union who are victims of violence who apply for a protection order in the Family Court or one that is granted in the District Court who seek to end their relationship with the other abusive partner. This bill supports those women to do so without having to wait in limbo for two years. I commend this bill to the House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Members the House is adjourned for the dinner break and will resume at 7.30 p.m.Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m."