Whānau ignored or denied opportunity to speak in Family Court

Shut out, disrespected, and intimidated - that's how many whānau say they've felt when in the Family Court according to a new report.

Te Taniwha I Te Ao Ture-ā-Whānau, Whānau Experience Of Care And Protection In The Family Court, found almost half of the whānau talked to were given no help to understand how the system worked.

The end result was that whānau members turned up feeling uninformed, alienated and with low levels of confidence over the whole proceeding.

The lead author of the report and a researcher at Whakauae is Dr Amohia Boulton and she speaks to Philippa Tolley.