No surprises at the emotion from parents owed thousands in child support, as Newstalk ZB reveals 0.05 percent of non-payers are being referred to court

Figures released under the Official Information Act reveal just 36 of 66-thousand New Zealanders in breach of their responsibilities, have been referred for court action, in the past year.

One Christchurch mother says the government's inaction is akin to state-sanctioned abuse, while another says the system is broken.

Family law barrister Sharon Chandra says child support has been a sensitive topic for a long time.

She says children are usually the most important things in parents' lives and when you have a system well on its way to being broken, that doesn't mix well.