While the Christmas season is a time of joy and hope for many families, others struggle with the aftermath of messy divorces and separations – Christmas presents and cards returned unopened, children denied visits with non-custodial mums, dads and grandparents, police action threatened over un-solicited phone calls to the children … and on and on. Almost no one can dispute that family law in New Zealand is in a real mess, which is why changes presently being recommended by a Select Committee of the Australian Federal Parliament deserve scrutiny. Last year the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, took a proactive...