The Supreme Court in a unanimous decision on 28 June 2022, dismissed the appeal of Family First for the restoration of its charity status with the Charities Registration Board.

Right to Life fully applauds and supports Family First for its defence of life and the traditional family. Family First is not deterred by this manifestly unjust decision and deserves the support of our whole community for its courageous defence of the family and our human rights.

The appeal was opposed by the Attorney General on behalf of the government which supported the Charities Registration Board, that Family First was advocating traditional marriage of one man and one woman as the foundation of a healthy society. Counsel for the Charities Board submitted that "the Trust’s main purpose is to promote points of view about family life, the promotion of which is a political purpose because the points of view do not have a public benefit that is self-evident as a matter of law.”

The government refuses to accept that traditional marriage was instituted by our Creator for the happiness, wellbeing of mankind and for the procreation of the human race.

The government should recognise that the family does not exist for society or the state but society and the state exist for the family. The duty of the State is to protect and promote traditional marriage and not to restrict it or suppress it.

It should be of great concern to all New Zealand families that the government is seeking to suppress the traditional family. Right to Life believes that now that the government has achieved success in the Supreme Court, that we can expect an attack on the charitable status of churches and state integrated schools, which teach that traditional marriage is between one man and one woman.

The traditional family is one of the 3 pillars of authority outside the state, along with the Church and civic organisations to defend human rights and democracy.

This case exposes and highlights the government’s rejection of the traditional family of exclusively one man and one woman as being of public benefit. The Attorney General argued that:-

“Family First’s contention that its activities benefit all forms of families cannot be sustained on the evidence. He submits that Family First has not established that its principal purpose, advocacy on behalf of the traditional family, is of public benefit or is sufficiently analogous to any purpose previously accepted as charitable.”

Counsel for the Charities Board submitted that the, “Trust’s main purpose is to promote points of view about family life, the promotion of which is a political purpose because the points of view do not have a public benefit that is self-evident as a matter of law.”

Right to Life requests that the government legislate to implement its commitment made in its election manifesto in 2017, “that Labour will ensure that community and voluntary organisations can engage in advocacy without fear of losing government contracts or their charitable status”.

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