Children's Commissioner Andrew Becroft with Labour MP Tamati Coffey and his newborn baby. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Long sought change is on the horizon for surrogate parents and families.
The government has announced it will fast track a bill, introduced by Labour MP Tamati Coffey, which is currently before Select Committee. The existing law does not recognise the intended parents of a child as the legal parents, meaning they must adopt the baby.
The law change will remove the need for parents to adopt their child born by surrogacy, establish a register for babies so they can access more information about their birth origins later on in life, and clarify what payments surrogates can get from parents. Justice Minister Kiritapu Allan says the status quo is discriminatory and outdated. Kathryn speaks with Labour MP, Tamati Coffey, who has been campaigning for change, and Fertility New Zealand board member Juanita Copeland.
