Relationships Act 2003

For the purposes of sections 4 and 5, persons are related by family if – one is the parent, or another ancestor, of the other; or one is the child, or another descendant, of the other; or they have a parent in common.

For the purposes of this section – a person is taken to be an ancestor or descendant of another person even if the relationship between them is traced through, or to, a person who is or was an adopted child; and the relationship of the parent and child between an adoptive parent and an adopted child is taken to continue even though the order by which the adoption was effected has been annulled, cancelled or discharged or the adoption has otherwise ceased to be effective; and the relationship between an adopted child and the adoptive parent, or each of the adoptive parents, is taken to be or to have been the natural relationship of child and parent; and a person who has been adopted more than once is taken to be the child of each person by whom he or she has been adopted.

For the purposes of this section – a person is taken to be an ancestor or descendant of another person even if the relationship between them is traced through, or to, a person who is or was a surrogate child; and the relationship of parent and child between a surrogate parent and a surrogate child is taken to continue even though the child has ceased to be a surrogate child of the parent; and the relationship between a surrogate child and the surrogate parent, or each of the surrogate parents, is taken to be or to have been the natural relationship of child and parent; and a person who has been a surrogate child of different surrogate parents at different times is taken to be the child of each person in respect of whom he or she is a surrogate child.