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The Adoption Act 1955 reflected contemporary thinking that supported a complete break between birth and adoptive families. Many mothers whose children were adopted out never saw their babies after giving birth, and very few knew the identity of those who had adopted them.
This act also brought Māori under the same adoption rules as Pākehā, which meant that in most cases the whakapapa of adopted Māori children was not recorded.
By 2025, the act was 70 years old. Although some amendments had been made and the Adult Information Act 1985 had been passed, there had been no comprehensive update of adoption law.