Justice Minister Amy Adams has released a summary of public submissions received during a public consultation about the Government's review of family violence laws.

She says overall, people who had their say were broadly supportive of the ideas for potential change, and the consultation confirmed that the discussion document released in August 2015 identified the key issues.

Ms Adams says discussions about specific proposals for law changes will be announced in upcoming months, with a view to introducing a Bill later in 2016.

The topics which received the most comments were:

• Updating the definition of domestic violence.
• Making protection orders more accessible and effective.
• Removing barriers to safety faced by specific population groups.
• Improving information sharing in family violence cases.
• Creating an additional pathway for victims, perpetrators and whānau who want help to stop violence, but don't want to go to court.

The discussion documents resulted in almost 500 submissions from individuals, groups and organisations. The New Zealand Law Society's submission said it supported the Government's initiative to reduce domestic violence, but felt that a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary review would have been preferable.