"The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 deals with how the property of married couples, civil union partners and de facto couples is divided when a relationship ends. The Act covers a relationship ending because of a break-up, but it can also cover a relationship ending because of the death of a spouse or partner.
The purpose of the Act is to recognise the equal contributions of both partners to their relationship and to provide for a just division of property when their relationship ends, taking into account the interests of their children. The general presumption of the Act is that a couple’s property will be divided equally between them. There are exceptions to this rule, however. In particular, there are different rules about how property is to be divided where a relationship has lasted less than three years." Source:
https://communitylaw.org.nz/community-law-manual/chapter-12-relationships-and-break-ups/dividing-your-property-when-you-split-up-relationship-property/
