NZ Family Court Forms Download: Parenting Order Application Pack

Where to Get the Official Forms

All Family Court forms for parenting order and guardianship applications are available through two official channels:

1. The Ministry of Justice website (justice.govt.nz) — PDF downloads of each form
2. The Care of Children Form Generator — an online tool on the Ministry's site that walks you through the form fields and produces a completed application you can print

Both are free. There is no paid portal, no registration required, and no reason to buy forms from a third-party website. The form generator is particularly useful for self-represented applicants because it prompts you through each section, reducing the chance of leaving a required field blank.

What Goes in the Application Pack

A standard parenting order application under Section 48 of the Care of Children Act 2004 includes several documents filed together. Missing a required document can delay processing.

Application form. This is the core document. It identifies the applicant, the respondents (usually the child's parents), and the child. It specifies which orders you are seeking — day-to-day care, contact, or both. If you are a grandparent or relative, you tick the Section 47 leave-to-apply box in Part 1b.

Information sheet. Sometimes called Form FDR-1 or the General Information Sheet, this captures demographic details for all parties and children: full names, dates of birth, addresses, ethnic identity, cultural background, and whether an interpreter is needed.

Supporting affidavit. A sworn or affirmed statement of facts setting out why you are applying, the child's current care arrangements, your relationship with the child, and why the orders serve the child's welfare and best interests. This is where your case is made. Every factual claim should be verifiable — attach supporting documents as exhibits (lettered sequentially: Exhibit A, Exhibit B).

Pre-filing certificates. Copies of your Parenting Through Separation (PTS) completion certificate and your Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) outcome certificate. If you are exempt (urgency, family violence, consent application, or active Oranga Tamariki proceedings), you include an affidavit setting out the exemption grounds instead.

Request for Confidentiality (optional). If family violence is a factor, this form instructs the court Registrar to redact your physical address, phone number, and the child's school details from all documents served on the respondent.

Fee waiver application (if needed). Form CS-FW, filed alongside the application. Submitting this form automatically postpones the $257 filing fee while the Registrar evaluates your eligibility under Regulation 7 of the Family Court (Fees) Regulations 2009.

Formatting Rules Under the Family Court Rules 2002

The Family Court Rules 2002 impose specific formatting requirements that trip up first-time applicants:

• Print single-sided on A4 paper — the registry rejects double-sided submissions
• Use black ink for signatures
• Affidavits must be in numbered paragraphs and signed in the presence of an authorised witness (Justice of the Peace, Registrar, or solicitor)
• File the originals plus copies — one copy for each respondent, one for the court file, and one for yourself

Filing Your Documents

You can submit your completed pack through three channels:

• In person at the Family Court registry nearest to where the child lives
• By post to the registry's postal address
• By email in PDF format with visible original signatures

Self-represented litigants use the standard filing channels, not the electronic lawyer-only portals. After the Registrar receives and checks your pack, they date-stamp it, open a file, and assign a court file number (formatted FAM-YYYY-000-000000).

Serving the Respondent

Unless the court grants a without-notice (urgent) procedure, you must formally serve a copy of the stamped application pack on every respondent parent or guardian. The rules are strict:

• Personal service — delivered by an independent adult (process server or court bailiff), not by you
• Affidavit of Service — the server signs a sworn statement confirming when, where, and to whom they delivered the documents
• 21-day response window — the respondent has 21 calendar days from service to file a Notice of Response and counter-affidavit

If you cannot locate the respondent, you file an interlocutory application for substituted service — the court may allow service via email, social media, or through a family member.

A Simpler Way to Navigate the Pack

The forms themselves are free and publicly available. The hard part is knowing which forms you need, how they fit together, what the affidavit must cover for a grandparent applying under Section 47, and how to sequence the filing with the fee waiver and service requirements.

The NZ Parenting Orders and Guardianship guide maps the entire application pack in filing order, with a document organiser to track what you have and what is still missing.

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