Question: My ex-husband and I both live in Auckland and share care of our children. During the lockdown they have been going between our homes as usual. He does not take the lockdown rules very seriously and has told me that he is going to let our 11-year-old daughter stay over at her friend's house as a Labour weekend treat. I am not okay with this as it is against the lockdown rules and I have no idea whether her friend's family are vaccinated against Covid-19. Can I refuse to let her go to his house this weekend?

Answer: Co-parenting during a pandemic is difficult. Parents are stressed and children are anxious. The situation is more challenging when parents have different opinions on the seriousness of the pandemic.

Children should not be having sleepovers while Auckland is under the current Alert Level 3 lockdown. However, some parents may not be in agreement about sleepovers even once the restrictions lift as they may feel differently about the risk to their child contracting Covid-19.

Continue reading this article on the NZ Herald.