Parenting Through Separation Course NZ: What to Expect

The Parenting Through Separation (PTS) course is a free, Ministry of Justice-funded programme that separating parents in New Zealand must complete before they can apply for a parenting order through the Family Court. If you're about to enter mediation or are considering a court application, this is one of the first boxes you need to tick.

Why It's Required

New Zealand law mandates the PTS course as a gatekeeper to the Family Court. The idea is straightforward: before the state spends judicial resources on your parenting dispute, it wants you to understand how separation affects children and what cooperative co-parenting looks like. The evidence supports this — parents who understand the emotional impact on their children are more likely to reach agreements in mediation and less likely to end up in a defended court hearing.

To file a non-urgent parenting order application, you must submit a PTS completion certificate dated within the previous 24 months. If your certificate is older than two years, you'll need to take the course again.

What the Course Covers

The PTS course runs for approximately four hours — either as a single session or split across two shorter sessions. It covers:

• How separation affects children at different developmental stages — toddlers, school-age children, and teenagers each react differently and need different support
• Common parenting traps — using children as messengers, speaking negatively about the other parent, competing for the child's loyalty
• Communication strategies for co-parenting — keeping discussions child-focused, using structured communication channels, and de-escalating conflict
• How to draft a parenting plan — the basics of schedules, decision-making frameworks, and what the Ministry of Justice workbook asks you to think about
• The court process — an overview of Family Dispute Resolution (FDR), consent orders, and what happens if mediation fails

The course is educational, not therapeutic. You won't be asked to discuss your specific situation in detail or negotiate with your co-parent. Both parents attend separately — you will not be in the same session as your ex.

How to Attend

PTS courses are delivered by approved providers across New Zealand, both in-person and online. You can find your nearest provider through the Ministry of Justice website or by calling the Family Court registry.

Key details:

• Cost: Free — fully funded by the Ministry of Justice
• Duration: Approximately four hours
• Format: Group session (in-person or virtual). Some providers offer individual sessions for parents who can't attend group settings due to safety concerns
• Who attends: Both parents need their own certificate, but they attend separately
• Certificate validity: 24 months from completion date

What PTS Doesn't Do

The course gives you a broad understanding of the separation landscape, but it doesn't:

• Help you draft your actual parenting plan — it explains what a plan should cover, but doesn't provide fillable templates or schedule calculators
• Explain the child support implications of your schedule — the interaction between overnight counts and IRD care thresholds isn't covered in depth
• Provide legal advice specific to your situation
• Replace Family Dispute Resolution mediation — PTS is a prerequisite for FDR, not a substitute

This gap is where most parents get stuck. They complete the PTS course understanding that they need a parenting plan, but without the practical tools to build one — especially around the financial implications of their scheduling choices.

When You Can Skip PTS

You don't need a PTS certificate if:

• You're filing a consent application (both parents have already agreed on the parenting arrangement)
• There's an urgent safety risk requiring a without-notice application
• Family violence — you can file a sworn affidavit instead
• Active Oranga Tamariki proceedings exist for the child
• You can demonstrate an inability to participate due to geographic, physical, or cognitive barriers

The Practical Gap

The PTS course is a solid four-hour overview, but it doesn't bridge the gap between understanding the concepts and actually executing them. You leave knowing that you need a parenting plan with specific schedules — but not how to build one that accounts for your child's age, the distance between households, your work patterns, and the IRD care-cliff thresholds that determine child support.

The New Zealand Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide picks up exactly where the PTS course stops — with fillable worksheets, age-appropriate schedule templates, overnight-count calculators, and the step-by-step paperwork sequence to turn your plan into an enforceable court order.

See more New Zealand guides →