4 Interpretation
  • (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    commencement date means the date specified in section 2

    community-based sentence has the meaning given to it in section 44

    community work centre means a community work centre established under section 126 of the Criminal Justice Act 1985

    counsel, in relation to any person, means a person enrolled as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand who is representing that person in any proceedings

    court means any court exercising jurisdiction in criminal cases

    Crown organisation has the same meaning as in section 4 of the Crown Organisations (Criminal Liability) Act 2002

    curfew address means the address, specified by a court, where an offender must remain during the curfew period

    curfew period means the periods, specified by a court, during which an offender sentenced to community detention must remain at the curfew address

    detention conditions means the standard conditions of a sentence of home detention set out in section 80C and any special conditions imposed by the court on an offender under section 80D

    detention end date means the date on which an offender who is subject to a sentence of home detention ceases to be subject to detention conditions

    determinate sentence of imprisonment means a sentence of imprisonment for a fixed term

    District Court includes a Youth Court

    epidemic management notice means a notice under section 8(1) of the Epidemic Preparedness Act 2006 stating that the application of this Act is modified in order to deal with the practical effects of the outbreak of the disease referred to in the notice

    forfeiture order has the same meaning as in section 5(1) of the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009

    health assessor means a health practitioner who—

    • (a) is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand continued by section 114(1)(a) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 as a practitioner of the profession of medicine, and who is a practising psychiatrist; or

    • (b) is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Psychologists Board continued by section 114(1)(a) of the Health Practitioners Act 2003 as a practitioner of the profession of psychology

    home detention residence means the residence, specified by a court, where an offender sentenced to home detention serves that sentence

    hospital means a hospital within the meaning of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992

    immediate family, in relation to a victim,—

    • (a) means a member of the victim's family, whanau, or other culturally recognised family group, who is in a close relationship with the victim at the time of the offence; and

    • (b) to avoid doubt, includes a person who is—

      • (i) the victim's spouse, civil union partner, or de facto partner; or

      • (ii) the victim's child or stepchild; or

      • (iii) the victim's brother or sister or step-brother or step-sister; or

      • (iv) a parent or step-parent of the victim; or

      • (v) a grandparent of the victim

    incapable, in relation to a person,—

    • (a) means that the person—

      • (i) lacks, wholly or partly, the capacity to understand the nature, and to foresee the consequences, of decisions in respect of matters relating to his or her personal care and welfare; or

      • (ii) has the capacity to understand the nature, and to foresee the consequences, of decisions in respect of matters relating to his or her personal care and welfare, but wholly lacks the capacity to communicate decisions in respect of matters of that kind; and

    • (b) includes the person being in a state of continuing unconsciousness

    indeterminate sentence of imprisonment means a sentence of imprisonment for life or a sentence of preventive detention

    instrument forfeiture order means an instrument forfeiture order made under section 142N

    instrument of crime

    • (a) means property used (wholly or in part) to commit, or to facilitate the commission of, a qualifying instrument forfeiture offence; and

    • (b) includes, in relation to a qualifying instrument forfeiture offence that is an offence against section 8(1) or (2A) of the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002, funds (as defined in section 4(1) of that Act) allocated for the purpose of committing that offence; and

    • (c) in relation to any property referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b), the proceeds of any disposition of that property or any other property into which that property is converted, after the commission of the qualifying instrument forfeiture offence, except to the extent provided otherwise by any order of a court under this Act or the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009, excluding any severable interest or granting relief

    minimum period of imprisonment means the period of imprisonment that the court has, under section 86, 86D(4), 86E(4)(a), 89, or 103, ordered that an offender must serve before he or she can be released under subpart 2 of Part 1 of the Parole Act 2002

    non-release day means a Saturday, a Sunday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, the second day of January, Waitangi Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Sovereign's birthday, Labour Day, and, in respect of a particular place where an offender is serving a sentence of community detention or home detention, the anniversary day of the region in which that place is situated

    offender includes a person who is dealt with or is liable to be dealt with for non-payment of a sum of money, disobedience of a court order, or contempt of court

    post-detention conditions means any standard post-detention conditions and special post-detention conditions imposed under section 80N on an offender sentenced to home detention

    prison means a prison established or deemed to be established under the Corrections Act 2004

    prison officer means an officer as defined in section 3(1) of the Corrections Act 2004

    probation area means an area designated by the chief executive of the Department of Corrections for the administration of release conditions, community-based sentences, sentences of home detention, or orders

    probation officer means a person appointed to be, or designated as, a probation officer under section 124 of the Criminal Justice Act 1985; and includes a person exercising only some of the functions or powers of a probation officer under that Act

    qualifying instrument forfeiture offence

    • (a) means an offence punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years or more; and

    • (b) includes an attempt to commit, conspiring to commit, or being an accessory to an offence if the maximum term of imprisonment for that attempt, conspiracy, or activity is 5 years or more

    sentence of imprisonment

    • (a) includes a determinate sentence of imprisonment and an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment; but

    • (b) does not include a term of imprisonment imposed, whether by committal, sentence, or order, for—

      • (i) non-payment of a sum of money; or

      • (ii) disobedience of a court order; or

      • (iii) contempt of court

    sentence term, in relation to a sentence of community detention, is the period that the sentence of community detention is in force

    sentencing guidelines means sentencing guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council in force under the Sentencing Council Act 2007

    short-term sentence has the same meaning as in section 4(1) of the Parole Act 2002

    staff member of a prison means a staff member within the meaning of section 3(1) of the Corrections Act 2004

    tainted property has the same meaning as in section 5(1) of the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009

    Trial Judge, in relation to a District Court, means a Judge who holds a warrant under section 28B of the District Courts Act 1947 to conduct trials on indictment

    victim

    • (a) means—

      • (i) a person against whom an offence is committed by another person; and

      • (ii) a person who, through, or by means of, an offence committed by another person, suffers physical injury, or loss of, or damage to, property; and

      • (iii) a parent or legal guardian of a child, or of a young person, who falls within subparagraph (i) or subparagraph (ii), unless that parent or guardian is charged with the commission of, or convicted or found guilty of, or pleads guilty to, the offence concerned; and

      • (iv) a member of the immediate family of a person who, as a result of an offence committed by another person, dies or is incapable, unless that member is charged with the commission of, or convicted or found guilty of, or pleads guilty to, the offence concerned; and

    • (b) despite paragraph (a), if an offence is committed by a person, does not include another person charged (whether as a principal or party or accessory after the fact or otherwise) with the commission of, or convicted or found guilty of, or who pleads guilty to,—

      • (i) that offence; or

      • (ii) an offence relating to the same incident or series of incidents as that offence.

    (2) For the purposes of this Act,—

    • (a) an offender is subject to a sentence of imprisonment until the sentence expires (in accordance with sections 82 and 83 of the Parole Act 2002):

    • (ab) an offender is subject to a sentence of home detention from the date the sentence commences in accordance with section 80W, 80X, or 80Y until the sentence ends in accordance with section 80Z, except when the sentence is suspended under section 80ZG(2):

    • (b) except as provided in paragraph (c), an offender is subject to a sentence of community work from the date that the sentence commences in accordance with section 75, 75A, or 76 until the date that it expires in accordance with section 75A:

    • (ba) except as provided in paragraph (c), an offender is subject to a sentence of community detention from the date that the sentence commences in accordance with section 75, 75B, or 76 until the date that it expires:

    • (c) an offender is not subject to a community-based sentence during any period that the community-based sentence is suspended under section 78(2)(a) or section 78(7).

    (3) For the purposes of this Act, otherwise dealing with an offender or other means of dealing with an offender

    • (a) means dealing with the offender in relation to an offence following a finding of guilt or a plea of guilty, instead of imposing a sentence; and

    • (b) to avoid doubt, does not include dealing with a person for non-payment of a sum of money, disobedience of a court order, or contempt of court.

    (4) For the purposes of this Act, the offender, in the case of a Crown organisation that is charged with, or convicted of, an offence against the Building Act 2004, the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, or the Resource Management Act 1991, is that Crown organisation and not the Crown.

    Section 4(1) Crown organisation: inserted, on 18 October 2002, by section 28(1) of the Crown Organisations (Criminal Liability) Act 2002 (2002 No 37).

    Section 4(1) curfew address: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) curfew period: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) detention conditions: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) detention end date: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) epidemic management notice: inserted, on 19 December 2006, by section 4 of the Sentencing Amendment Act (No 2) 2006 (2006 No 89).

    Section 4(1) forfeiture order: inserted, on 1 December 2009, by section 6 of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 10).

    Section 4(1) health assessor: substituted, on 18 September 2004, by section 175(1) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (2003 No 48).

    Section 4(1) home detention: repealed, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(1) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) home detention residence: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) immediate family paragraph (b): substituted, on 26 April 2005, by section 7 of the Relationships (Statutory References) Act 2005 (2005 No 3).

    Section 4(1) incapable paragraph (b): amended, on 17 December 2002, by section 53 of the Victims' Rights Act 2002 (2002 No 39).

    Section 4(1) instrument forfeiture order: inserted, on 1 December 2009, by section 6 of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 10).

    Section 4(1) instrument of crime: inserted, on 1 December 2009, by section 6 of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 10).

    Section 4(1) instrument of crime paragraph (b): amended, on 7 July 2010, by section 4 of the Sentencing Amendment Act (No 2) 2010 (2010 No 84).

    Section 4(1) instrument of crime paragraph (c): added, on 7 July 2010, by section 4 of the Sentencing Amendment Act (No 2) 2010 (2010 No 84).

    Section 4(1) minimum period of imprisonment: amended, on 1 June 2010, by section 5 of the Sentencing and Parole Reform Act 2010 (2010 No 33).

    Section 4(1) non-release day: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) penal institution: repealed, on 1 June 2005, by section 206 of the Corrections Act 2004 (2004 No 50).

    Section 4(1) post-detention conditions: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) prison: inserted, on 1 June 2005, by section 206 of the Corrections Act 2004 (2004 No 50).

    Section 4(1) prison officer: inserted, on 18 September 2012, by section 4 of the Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Act 2012 (2012 No 74).

    Section 4(1) probation area: substituted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(2) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) qualifying instrument forfeiture offence: inserted, on 1 December 2009, by section 6 of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 10).

    Section 4(1) sentence term: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) sentencing guidelines: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) short-term sentence: inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(3) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(1) staff member of a penal institution: repealed, on 1 June 2005, by section 206 of the Corrections Act 2004 (2004 No 50).

    Section 4(1) staff member of a prison: inserted, on 1 June 2005, by section 206 of the Corrections Act 2004 (2004 No 50).

    Section 4(1) tainted property: inserted, on 1 December 2009, by section 6 of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 10).

    Section 4(1) victim paragraph (a): substituted, on 17 December 2002, by section 53 of the Victims' Rights Act 2002 (2002 No 39).

    Section 4(2)(ab): inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(4) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(2)(b): amended, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(5) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(2)(ba): inserted, on 1 October 2007, by section 4(6) of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).

    Section 4(4): added, on 18 October 2002, by section 28(2) of the Crown Organisations (Criminal Liability) Act 2002 (2002 No 37).

    Section 4(4): amended, on 1 October 2009, by section 166 of the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 31).

    Section 4(4): amended, on 31 March 2005, by section 414 of the Building Act 2004 (2004 No 72).