A woman investigated by police for alleged people trafficking went on to bring a total of 21 young people to New Zealand through overseas adoptions, official briefings show.

New Zealand Police examined the case in 2017 but determined the evidence did not support charges. At that point, Immigration New Zealand knew of 11 adopted children. The woman, who has five biological children, brought in 10 more adoptees after the investigation closed.

Documents obtained by RNZ reveal officials found evidence during interviews that the woman exercised complete control over her adopted children's lives, including their money. Immigration New Zealand spoke with one applicant, along with her birth and adoptive parents, who confirmed she would be required to hand over her income to the adoptive mother.

Legal gap in adoption law

The woman was able to continue adopting because section 17 of the Adoption Act contains no requirement for child welfare agencies to assess whether prospective adoptive parents are suitable. Samoan adoptions satisfied the legal criteria under that section.

Samoan law permits adoptions of people up to age 20, and immigration instructions imposed no cap on the number of adopted children a parent could sponsor for residence when section 17 was met.

One case involved a 21-year-old Samoan woman adopted by her great aunt who applied for a dependent child resident visa.

Further cases flagged

Briefings to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford also highlighted other large-scale adoption cases. A 39-year-old Kiribati woman with nine adopted children applied for a partnership resident visa. She and her partner live with their 11-person family in a two-bedroom flat.

Officials expressed concern about the couple's lack of a clear plan to support 11 people on a single income. Nevertheless, they said the woman's application would likely be approved because it met partnership residence rules and the adoptions were lawful. Officials noted they planned to raise the broader issue with the Kiribati judiciary.

In another instance, nine visa applications were lodged over four months for children and young people adopted by a 40-year-old Kiribati woman who has four biological children. The woman told officials all nine applicants would live with her, her partner and her four birth children in her six-bedroom house.

Government response

The government introduced a temporary halt to recognising certain international adoptions for immigration and citizenship purposes in September last year. A bill reached Parliament in May to make permanent changes.

The legislation will require adoptions from countries outside the Hague Convention framework to be processed through New Zealand's Family Court. Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee said the reforms clarify when adoptions will be accepted.

"The reforms to the system will mean there are two pathways for children adopted overseas by New Zealand citizens to automatically become New Zealand citizens, either under the process in the Hague Convention, or in the New Zealand Family Court," McKee said.

The briefings detail the concerns that drove changes to child welfare, immigration and citizenship rules.