Challenging overseas maintenance decisions

In some cases you can challenge our decision about registering your overseas child support or domestic maintenance. This is similar to an objection.

You can challenge our decision to accept or decline a registration, as long as it fits under the grounds from the 2007 Child Support Convention listed below. 

Please contact us to discuss our decision before you make your challenge.

Contact us

Timeframe for challenging a decision

We must receive your challenge in writing within:

• 30 days, if you live in New Zealand
• 60 days, if you do not live in New Zealand.

The 30 or 60 days starts from the date on the decision letter we sent you.

If you already pay child support, you must continue paying until you hear from us. 

Challenging maintenance decisions

You can challenge a maintenance decision under at least 1 of these grounds. These are listed in Article 23 of the 2007 Convention.

• Recognising and enforcing the decision would go against New Zealand’s public policy.
• The decision was made using fraud or false information.
• There is an earlier, pending application for a decision between the same parties and for the same purpose.
• The decision goes against another decision (between the same parties and for the same purpose) that could be registered.
• The respondent was not told the proceedings were happening and did not have the chance to be heard, or was not told of the decision and did not have a chance to challenge it.
• The rules of the Convention have not been met.
• Documents supplied with the application are incorrect.
• The debt has already been paid.

Challenging maintenance arrangements

You can challenge a maintenance arrangement under at least 1 of these grounds. These are listed in Article 30 of the 2007 Convention.

• Recognising and enforcing the arrangement would go against New Zealand’s public policy.
• The maintenance arrangement was made using fraud or false information.
• The maintenance arrangement goes against another maintenance arrangement that exists between the same parties, and for the same purpose, that could be registered.

How to challenge an overseas maintenance decision
2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and other forms of Family Maintenance (assets.hcch.net)