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The furthest apart a family can be, with a time difference that turns morning into evening and a journey of two days.
New Zealand is the furthest a family can be separated and still be on the same planet, with a time difference of eleven to thirteen hours depending on the season – which means that when one household is starting the day the other is ending it.
That has practical consequences for everything. Video calls need planning rather than spontaneity, journeys take the better part of two days, and the southern school year runs from February to December. Arrangements that work here are specific and realistic; vague ones fail quickly.
Situations we are asked about
- A parent who has emigrated, with children in England, or the reverse.
- A proposed relocation to New Zealand that has not been agreed.
- Making contact work across a twelve-hour difference and a long journey.
- Property, KiwiSaver or pensions in either country.
Money and property in two countries
New Zealand property and KiwiSaver can be discussed. How they would be treated in an English financial case, and what any order could reach, is a legal question for advisers in both countries.
If a child is taken or kept without agreement
New Zealand acceded to the 1980 Child Abduction Convention in 1991, and the United Kingdom accepted that accession, so the Convention has operated between them since 1 October 1991. New Zealand is not a party to the 1996 Child Protection Convention.
This is a summary, not advice, and the exceptions and detail matter enormously. Our guide to the Hague Conventions explains how they work. If a child has already been taken or is not being returned, take specialist legal advice immediately – mediation must never delay that.
School years and holidays
The New Zealand school year runs from early February to mid-December in four terms, so the long summer holiday covers the English winter and Christmas. Arrangements here are usually built around one substantial annual visit rather than several shorter ones.
Travel, distance and contact
Around 24 to 30 hours door to door, and a time difference of eleven to thirteen hours depending on the season – both countries change their clocks, in opposite directions. Video contact needs a fixed, agreed slot; spontaneous calls rarely work when one household is asleep.
Language and timing
Mediation is held in English. Much of this site can also be read and listened to in six other languages.
New Zealand is currently 12 hours ahead of the UK, so sessions are arranged for a time that works in both places. Appointment times are agreed with each of you beforehand.
How this would work
Everything is held online. Each of you meets the mediator separately first – that is the MIAM, and it is where suitability is assessed, including whether an English mediator is right for your situation at all. After that, joint sessions are arranged at a time that works in both countries, or as shuttle sessions where being in the same call is not right.
A MIAM matters only if a case in England and Wales is possible; a MIAM certificate carries no weight before a foreign court. Mediation cannot decide which country has authority, cannot give legal advice, and what you agree is not enforceable until a lawyer makes it so – so independent advice, usually in both countries, runs alongside.
Where there has been abuse or controlling behaviour, mediation may not be suitable at all: see domestic abuse and mediation.
Fees: a MIAM is £125 per person and joint sessions £180 per person – full fees. The Government voucher and Legal Aid have eligibility rules most families living abroad will not meet; it is checked individually, never assumed.
Not sure an English mediator is the right choice? That is what the free chat is for. If a mediator in your own country would serve you better, we will say so.
Questions we are asked
When can sessions realistically be held?
Usually a UK morning, which is a New Zealand evening, or a UK evening for a New Zealand morning. It is agreed with both of you in advance, and it is one of the first things worked out.
One of us wants to move there with the children.
That is among the most serious decisions a separating family faces, and it needs legal advice on both sides before anything is agreed. Mediation can help you talk it through properly, but it is not a substitute for advice or, where needed, a court decision.
Sources
- HCCH – status table, 1980 Child Abduction Convention
- HCCH – status table, 1996 Child Protection Convention
- GOV.UK – international parental child abduction
Treaty status and official guidance checked on 27 September 2026.
This page is general information about family mediation. It is not legal advice about your own situation. Whether a court in England and Wales can deal with your case is a legal question, and it needs advice here and in New Zealand.