A woman investigated by police in 2017 for people trafficking went on to adopt 21 children from overseas. She also had five biological children. Police found the evidence did not meet the threshold for people trafficking charges, but they were concerned she controlled all aspects of the adopted children's lives, including their money.

This case has now become important as Parliament changes the law on international adoptions. It shows exactly what the new rules are meant to fix.

The problem

Currently, there is no requirement for child welfare agencies to check whether someone is suitable to adopt. Immigration rules do not say how many children one person can adopt from overseas. Samoa allows adoptions up to age 20. This meant one person could adopt a large number of overseas children with almost no official oversight.

Another case raised similar concerns: a 39-year-old woman from Kiribati was applying to live in New Zealand permanently. She had nine adopted children, and 11 people were living in a two-bedroom flat on one income.

What the government is doing

The government made its first move in September 2025. It stopped recognising certain international adoptions for immigration and citizenship purposes.

In May 2026, the government introduced the Overseas Adoptions Legislation Bill to Parliament. The bill requires adoptions from countries that do not follow the Hague Convention on international adoption to go through the Family Court. This means a judge would look at the case before it is approved — something that does not happen now.

The bill creates two ways that children adopted overseas can become New Zealand citizens. The Ministry of Justice has published a guide showing how the Family Court process would work.

One issue has not been resolved: the New Zealand Law Society raised a concern in June 2026. Under the new law, children adopted overseas would not be able to apply for a visa if certain conditions apply — but biological children and children adopted in New Zealand would be able to. Select committee — a group of MPs who examine bills in detail — will look at this issue.

What changes and what doesn't

The main part of the bill — sending non-Hague adoptions to the Family Court — directly addresses the problem. A judge would be able to spot situations where too many children are being adopted, or where living arrangements or control of money raise concerns.

What the bill does not change immediately is the old Adoption Act from 1955. This law has not kept up with modern international adoption.

The 2017 police investigation shows why this matters. Police said the conduct was not people trafficking under the law — but that does not mean nothing was wrong. They recorded concerns about money and control, but there was no recorded child welfare response. The new bill would not change what happened in that case. But it would mean the same thing could not happen again without a judge approving it first.