The 2001 amendments extended the property division regime in the Act to include heterosexual and homosexual de facto partners, making it one of the first New Zealand statutes to acknowledge same-sex relationships.

For example, if the relationship is one of short duration as defined by the Act, the Court may divide the property other than equally.

If section 13 is satisfied the shares of the parties are determined in accordance with the contribution of each to the marriage partnership.

This provision has been referred to as the "stay-at-home spouse clause" and allows one partner to be awarded more than 50 percent of joint property to address the economic disparity created during the relationship.

[1] If people have assets they wish to protect they can enter into a contracting-out agreement with their partner at the beginning of the relationship.