New Zealand divorces drop to lowest number since 1979

Last year saw the lowest number of divorces since 1979, according to figures released by Statistics NZ.

In 2021, 6,372 divorces were granted by the family courts. That equated to a divorce rate of 6.2 divorces per estimated 1000 existing marriages, the lowest since the law changed in 1981 making it easier for couples to split.

Statistics NZ populations estimates and projections manager Hamish Slack​​ said the drop in divorces might be related to less societal pressure to marry.

Couples could now live together without marrying, or get married at a later age after living together for a period of time, he said.

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But the impacts of the pandemic are yet to be felt, as couples need to have been separated for at least two years before they can apply for a divorce.

Angela Fanning​​, a Nelson counsellor specialising in couple work, said she’d had an “exponential” increase in enquires for couples counselling over the last six months, which she believed was a reflection of the stresses of Covid-19.

“It’s stressing individuals, it’s stressing couples, it’s impacting families.”

Nelson counsellor Mark Peart said among other problems such as economic issues, he had seen the impacts of the polarisation of mandates on couples, and in several couples he worked with, at least one member of the pair had lost their job as a result.

The demand from couples was very high, he said.

Nelson lawyer Steven Zindel said financial pressure was a common factor in divorces. Those with lower incomes didn’t have reliable stable housing and moved from one insecure rental to another.

Zindel said he was concerned that couples who had bought housing with a low interest regime were going to be under pressure with interest rates on the rise.

The breakup of households put even more stress on housing stock as one household became two, he said.

Zindel said many couples people didn’t bother to get their marriages dissolved until they wanted to remarry.

Emotional or physical behaviour could be a factor in break-ups – “other times it’s because people got tired of each other.”

Marriages these days were a “minority pursuit”, as many couples chose to live in defacto relationships.

Slack said divorces had been generally decreasing since the early 2000s.

The expectation to be married before having children has also reduced, he said.

In 2021, 51% of babies were born to married parents. This figure was 96% in 1951.

Census data on relationships from 2018 showed that 75% of couples who were in a relationship were married, down from 94% in 1981.