Unpublished manuscript, Victoria University of Wellington at Wellington, New Zealand

In this paper the author discusses the debate over allowing more accessibility to Family Court proceedings, which are currently closed to public and media view. The author examines the potential arguments for and against public accessibility, such as increasing accountability, exposing current ruling trends, decreasing false allegations or dispelling bias of allegations, reluctance of family members to becoming involved in dispute resolution processes, and potentially detrimental effects on the wellbeing of children. The author also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of reform options, such as The Family Court Openness of Proceedings Amendment Bill and The Care of Children Bill (2004).

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