The Family Court is failing female domestic abuse victims says Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier, but Women's Refuge says an alternative seems to aid the victim's attacker.
Judge Boshier said Family Court resources were stretched and more was required from the current system to ensure the safety of female domestic violence victims.
"I don't think female victims of domestic violence get the sort of support that is, in fact, necessary," Judge Boshier said in the Auckland District Law Society newsletter.
"We operate in relative isolation. The fact is that, for whatever reason, a number of female victims of domestic violence don't see the court as providing them with enough protection.
"I think we can, and should, do more before and after our hearings."