Disbelieving children’s disclosures and disregarding children’s views: what children’s appeals of parenting orders in New Zealand can teach about the harmful impact of ignoring children in care proceedings

Abstract This article examines a unique feature of family law in New Zealand: the right of children to appeal their care and contact arrangements from the Family Court to the High Court. While they are rarely used, this article argues that these rare mechanisms provide a window into the damaging effect that Family Court orders have on children who have experienced family violence and are forced back into the care of violence perpetrators over their express objections and despite their well-founded fears.