New Zealand Legislation

• See About this site for what’s on the site, how to use it, where to get more help, and accessibility.
• See Search help for tips on searching.
• See Glossary for an explanation of the terms used.

Last updated 13 August 2009
(PDF version, 352KB)

Table of contents

1. Introduction
1.1. Site content
1.2. Site updates
1.2.1 Incorporating amendments
1.3. Status of legislation on the website
1.4. More information

2. Navigating the website
2.1. Accessibility
2.2. Home page
2.3. Global navigational bar

3. Finding legislation by browsing
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Browsing legislation
3.2.1. Browse by title
3.2.2. Browse by year
3.2.3. Browse by type
3.2.4. Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted
3.2.5. Start again
3.2.6. Edit Browse

4. Viewing legislation
4.1. Legislative fragments
4.2. Main page headings
4.3. Legislative titles
4.4. Alert messages
4.5. Legislative context

5. Navigation after browsing
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Browse navigation bar
5.2.1. See other versions
5.2.2. View PDF copy
5.2.3. View whole
5.2.4. Contents
5.2.5. Previous
5.2.6. Next
5.2.7. Search within

6. Finding legislation by searching
6.1. Introduction
6.2. Fragment searching
6.3. Quick, guided, and advanced links
6.4. Types of search
6.5. Quick search
6.5.1. Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted
6.6. Guided search
6.7. Advanced search

7. Navigation after searching
7.1. Introduction
7.2. Search navigation bar
7.2.1. Previous result
7.2.2. Next result
7.2.3. Back to search results
7.2.4. Remove highlighting

8. Searching within legislation
8.1. Introduction

9. Printing, saving, and linking to legislation
9.1. Printing legislation
9.2. Saving legislation
9.3. Linking to legislation

10. Update alerts (RSS feed)
10.1. How to use the RSS feed
10.2. Subscribing to the RSS feed
10.3. Find out more

1. Introduction

The New Zealand Legislation website (www.legislation.govt.nz) is provided by the New Zealand Parliamentary Counsel Office/Te Tari Tohutohu Pāremata (PCO), which is responsible for drafting and publishing most of New Zealand's legislation.

To find legislation on this website, start by either browsing or searching. This document explains browsing, and what to do after browsing, in sections 3 to 5. Sections 6 to 8 explain searching and what to do after a search has been performed. Sections 9 and 10 cover printing, saving, linking, and how to receive update alerts from the RSS feed.

1.1. Site content

The website provides free public access to up-to-date unofficial versions of the following New Zealand legislation:

• Acts of Parliament:
  • public Acts
  • local Acts
  • private Acts
  • Imperial Acts in force in New Zealand
  • provincial Acts and provincial Ordinances in force in New Zealand

  Schedule 3 (Excise and excise-equivalent duties) of the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and Schedule 1 (The Tariff) of the Tariff Act 1988 are not currently available in the collection.

• Regulations published in the Statutory Regulations series, and Imperial subordinate legislation in force in New Zealand.

  Schedule 3 (Thai goods containing non-originating materials) and Schedule 7 (Product-specific rules of origin for Australian goods) of the Customs and Excise Regulations 1996 are not currently available in the collection.

• Bills (Government Bills, Members’ Bills, Local Bills, and Private Bills).
• Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs).

  Some Bills and SOPs are labelled "Unofficial version", to indicate that they have yet to be checked by the Office of the Clerk.

Amendment Acts and amendment Regulations are provided in all cases from 1999 onwards. Amendment Acts and amendment Regulations from 1997 and 1998 are also provided, but usually in summary format. In general, amendment Acts and amendment Regulations before 1997 are not provided.

Acts repealed and Regulations revoked before 4 September 2007 are not in general available on this website.

Bills and SOPs that were no longer current at 1 January 2008 are not available on this website. Some documents that were current before that date and are still current, but have not been republished since 2007, will not be available on this website until they have been republished as a later version.

There is no charge for you to search, browse, or print the legislation. However, using the internet and printing in some places (eg in a library or internet café) may incur a charge.

1.2. Site updates

An update statement, which includes the date and time that the website was last updated, is provided on the Home page (see 2.2).

We aim to make legislation (including Bills and SOPs) available on this website in accordance with the following timeframes:

• new Acts: within five working days of Royal assent
• new Regulations: the day after the date they are notified in the Gazette
• Bills:
  • new Bills introduced into the House: the day after introduction
  • subsequent versions: the day after the printed version is made available to the House
• SOPs: the day after they have been circulated to Members of Parliament.

  New Acts, Bills, and Supplementary Order Papers are made publicly available only when notified to do so by Parliament.

1.2.1. Incorporating amendments

Current (principal) Acts and Regulations are updated with amendments as soon as possible after the amendments are enacted/made. We aim to incorporate amendments within three weeks after the amendment comes into force. However, if an amendment is to come into force more than 90 days after enactment/making, we aim to incorporate the amendment by the date the amendment comes into force. Our ability to achieve these timeframes may be affected from time to time by the number or complexity of the amendments.

Each Act or Regulation states when amendments were last incorporated. If an amendment has been enacted/made, but not yet incorporated into the principal enactment, an alert message will appear under the "See related information and/or uncompiled amendments" item for that principal enactment. We aim to make this alert message available on the website within five working days of the publication of the amendment on the website. Our ability to meet this timeframe may be affected from time to time by the number or complexity of amendments.

1.3. Status of legislation on the website

The electronic versions of legislation on this website, and any legislation printed from this website, have no official status, and are made available for information only and should not be relied on as the authoritative text.

1.4. More information

For more information about the New Zealand Legislation website see About this site (www.legislation.govt.nz/about.aspx) and Glossary (www.legislation.govt.nz/glossary.aspx).

Help us make the Guide more useful. If you have any suggestions for additions or changes to the Guide, please Contact us.

2. Navigating the website

2.1. Accessibility

The New Zealand Legislation website has been designed to comply with the mandatory standards of the New Zealand Government Web Standards and Recommendations (the Standards) (http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/web-guidelines/), allowing the content to be usable by all, irrespective of physical or technological impediments.

Some items of legislation are large, particularly the "whole" or PDF versions, and may be slow to download.

The final form and content of legislation is a matter for Parliament or, in the case of Regulations, the person or body responsible for making the Regulations. There are therefore some instances where the Parliamentary Counsel Office is unable to publish legislation (including Bills and Supplementary Order Papers) in a form that fully complies with the Standards. Two examples where compliance with the Standards cannot be achieved are:

• the provision of summaries in tables, using the "summary" attribute to provide text that helps users of assistive technologies form a mental picture of the structure of the table
• in un-officialised legislation, the provision of alternative text for images. Because alternative text has not been added to images, users with visual impairments may have difficulty understanding the content. The Parliamentary Counsel Office will be adding alternative text to images as part of the officialisation process.

If you come across any accessibility issues, please Contact us.

2.2. Home page

The Home page provides access to the major search and browse functions of the website as well as links to:

• a list of access keys. Access keys enable you to quickly jump to specific parts of the website using the keyboard
• a feedback page that provides the ability for you to provide feedback to the PCO
• a contact us page that provides details for contacting the PCO
• newzealand.govt.nz

Clicking on the newzealand.govt.nz logo located at the top of the page will take you to newzealand.govt.nz.

Clicking on the Parliamentary Counsel Office logo will take you to the PCO corporate website www.pco.parliament.govt.nz.

2.3. Global navigational bar

Each website page contains a global navigational bar located at both the top and bottom of the page.

Home	Takes you to the Home page. (www.legislation.govt.nz)
Search: Acts	Allows you to search all current Acts. (www.legislation.govt.nz/act/searchquick.aspx)
Search: Bills	Allows you to search all current Bills. (www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/searchquick.aspx)
Search: Regulations	Allows you to search all current Regulations. (www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/searchquick.aspx)
Search: All	Allows you to search across all current Bills, Acts, and Regulations. (www.legislation.govt.nz/all/searchquick.aspx)
Browse: Acts	Allows you to browse all Acts. (www.legislation.govt.nz/act/browse.aspx)
Browse: Bills	Allows you to browse all Bills. (www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/browse.aspx)
Browse: Regulations	Allows you to browse all Regulations. (www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/browse.aspx)
Browse: All	Allows you to browse across all current Bills, Acts, and Regulations. (www.legislation.govt.nz/all/browse.aspx)
Glossary	This page introduces the terms used on the website. (www.legislation.govt.nz/glossary.aspx)
About	About this site. This section explains what is on the site (and what isn't), how to use it, how often it is updated, and where to go for more help. It also includes site owner, linking, accessibility, copyright, disclaimer, and privacy information. (www.legislation.govt.nz/about.aspx)
Guide	Guide to using the New Zealand Legislation website. The section you are viewing. (www.legislation.govt.nz/guide.aspx)
Site map	The site map provides links to the key functions of the website. It also provides a quick way to view legislative titles by alphabetical letter. (www.legislation.govt.nz/sitemap.aspx)
Buy Online	This page provides information about how to buy an official printed copy of legislation. (www.legislation.govt.nz/buyonline.aspx)

Notes:

1. Acts are described as current if they are principal* Acts that have been enacted and have not been repealed.
2. Regulations are described as current if they are principal* Regulations that have been made and have not been revoked.
3. Bills are described as current if they have not been enacted and are not terminated.

* Amendment legislation is not included in the current collection, but can be located using a guided search, an advanced search, or by browsing by type. See also 6.5.1 for further options.

For more information see the website Glossary (www.legislation.govt.nz/glossary.aspx).

3. Finding legislation by browsing

3.1. Introduction

The New Zealand Legislation website is divided into four collections:

• Acts
• Bills
• Regulations
• All

If you know the name of the legislation you are looking for, you can use the Browse option to find that item of legislation. Use the browse All option when you know the name of the legislation but are unsure of the type (Act, Bill, or Regulation).

3.2. Browsing legislation

Unless otherwise specified, any browse is performed across the current collection.

In relation to Acts, "current" means the most recent publicly available version of a principal Act that has not been repealed.

In relation to Regulations, "current" means the most recent publicly available version of a principal Regulation that has not been revoked.

In relation to Bills, "current" means the most recent publicly available version of a Bill that has not been enacted or terminated.

Amendment Acts and Regulations, and enacted Bills, are not part of the current collection but can be included in your browse as an option. See 3.2.4 Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted. Amendment Bills, however, are included in the current collection.

Amendment Acts and amendment Regulations are not part of the current collection, but can be found by performing a guided search or an advanced search for the "as enacted" or "as made" version, or by browsing by type. Amendment Bills, however, are included in the current collection.

3.2.1. Browse by title

Browsing by title allows you to view either all titles for that collection or titles by letter.

Example 1: Browsing Acts by title

To browse to the Privacy Act 1993:

1. Click on the Browse Acts link.
2. Click on the down arrow located in the "Title" box.
3. Click on the letter "P".
4. Click the button located below the "Title" box.
5. Click on the title Privacy Act 1993.

Example 2: Browsing Bills by title

To browse to a list of all Bill titles:

1. Click on the Browse Bills link.
2. Ensure "All" is selected in the title box.
3. Click the button located below the "Title" box.
4. Click on the name of the title you wish to view.

See also 3.2.4 Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted.

3.2.2. Browse by year

When browsing by year, you can either select a chosen year from the dropdown list or enter a year to browse to. Browsing by year also provides the ability to have the results displayed alphabetically or by year. When "by year" is selected, the results are listed by number within the year.

Example 1: Browsing Acts by year

To view all current 2006 Acts:

1. Click on the Browse Acts link.
2. Click the down arrow located next to the year.
3. Select the year 2006 (the box contains an entry for each of the last ten years).
4. Click the button located below the "Year" box to see the 2006 Act titles.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Example 2: Browsing Regulations by year

To view all current 1993 Regulations:

1. Click on the Browse Regulations link.
2. Enter the year 1993 in the box provided.
3. Click the button located below the "Year" box to see the 1993 Regulation titles.
4. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Note:

If you select a year from the dropdown list and enter a year in the box provided, only the results for the year inserted will be displayed.

See also 3.2.4 Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted.

3.2.3. Browse by type

By type provides you with the ability to view legislation by type or by version. Browsing by type also provides the ability to have the results displayed alphabetically or by year. When "by year" is selected, the results are listed by number within the year.

Example 1: Browsing Acts by type and version

To browse all local Acts:

1. Click on the Browse Acts link.
2. Select "choose one or more".
3. Click in the box next to the word "local" (a tick will appear ).
4. Click on the button located below the "Type" box.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Note:

You can select one or more Act types to view.

Example 2: Browsing Acts by type and version

To browse all principal and amendment Acts that were enacted in 2007 (ie in their original form):

1. Click on the Browse Acts link.
2. Click in the button next to the words "as enacted (principal and amendment Acts in original form)".
3. Select the year 2007 in the dropdown box . The box contains an entry for each of the last ten years. To search for amendment legislation that is more than ten years old use the guided or advanced search functions.
4. Click on the button located below the "Type" box.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Example 3: Browsing Regulations by type and version

To browse all principal and amendment Regulations that were made in 2007 (ie in their original form):

1. Click on the Browse Regulations link.
2. Ensure "all types" is selected.
3. Click in the button next to the words "as made (principal and amendment Regulations in original form)".
4. Ensure the year 2007 is selected in the dropdown box . The box contains an entry for each of the last ten years. To search for amendment legislation that is more than ten years old use the guided or advanced search functions.
5. Click on the button located below the "Type" box.
6. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Example 4: Browsing Bills by type and version

To browse all government and local Bills:

1. Click on the Browse Bills link.
2. Select "choose one or more".
3. Click in the box next to the word "government" and the word "local" (a tick will appear ).
4. Click on the button located below the "Type" box.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Example 5: Browsing Bills by type and version

To browse all Bills enacted in 2007:

1. Click on the Browse Bills link.
2. Click in the button next to the word "enacted".
3. Ensure the year 2007 is selected in the dropdown box (the box contains an entry for each of the last ten years).
4. Click on the button located below the "Type" box.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Note:

For definitions of the terms used in the "Type" box, see the website Glossary (www.legislation.govt.nz/glossary.aspx).

3.2.4. Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted

When browsing by title or by year, you have the option of including certain types of legislation which by default are excluded.

When browsing Acts by title or year, you have the option of excluding or including amendment Acts and original versions of Acts.

When browsing Bills by title, you have the option of excluding or including Bills that have been enacted.

When browsing Regulations by title or year, you have the option of excluding or including amendment Regulations and original versions of Regulations.

When browsing All by title or year, you have the option of excluding or including amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, and Bills that have been enacted.

Amendment Acts and Regulations are types of legislation that amend principal Acts or Regulations. Original versions are Acts or Regulations in "as enacted" form, ie without showing any subsequent amendments. Bills that have been enacted have been passed by Parliament to become Acts.

To widen your browse by including these options, click on the box to remove the tick.

3.2.5. Start again

Clicking on the button will clear any browse criteria you have selected, and return the page to its default settings.

3.2.6. Edit Browse

After a successful browse, a browse results page will be displayed. This page contains a list of the titles that match your browse criteria. Clicking on the words "Edit Browse", located on the top right-hand side of the page, will take you to the bottom of the page where you can modify your browse criteria.

Click on the button, located at the bottom of the page, to browse again.

4. Viewing legislation

4.1. Legislative fragments

In order to provide faster access when viewing, the legislation on this website has been split into fragments. Examples of fragments are:

• Sections
• Clauses
• Commentaries
• Explanatory Notes
• Reprints Notes
• Schedules
• Skeletons (amending Acts and Regulations that have transitional or uncommenced provisions)
• Tables of contents

4.2. Main page headings

When viewing legislation or results pages, one of the following page headings will be displayed. These headings indicate the type of legislation you are viewing:

• New Zealand Legislation: Acts
• New Zealand Legislation: Bills
• New Zealand Legislation: Regulations
• New Zealand Legislation: All

4.3. Legislative titles

To help identify the legislation being viewed, the title of the legislation is always displayed at the top of the page (below the global navigational bar).

Act titles

For Acts, the title consists of:

• the title (which already includes the year)
• the Act number
• the type of Act

If the principal Act has had amendments incorporated, the words "as at" and the date are inserted. For example, "Civil Aviation Act 1990 No 98 (as at 1 December 2007), Public Act" or "Manfeild Park Act 2006 No 1, Private Act".

Bill titles

For Bills, the title consists of:

• the title
• the Bill number
• the version (bar) number
• the year that the Bill was introduced into the House
• the Bill type

For example, Animal Welfare (Restriction on Docking of Dogs' Tails) Bill 169-1 (2007), Members Bill.

Regulation titles

For Regulations, the title consists of:

• the title (which already includes the year)
• (SR year/no) where "year" is the year in which it was published in the Statutory Regulations series and "no" is the number of the Regulation in that year

If the principal Regulation has had amendments incorporated, the words "as at" and the date are inserted. For example, "Citizenship Regulations 2002 (SR 2002/73)" or "Citizenship Regulations 2002 (SR 2002/73) (as at 1 December 2004 )".

If the Regulation is an Imperial Regulation the word "Imperial" is added at the end, eg "New Zealand (Appeals to The Privy Council) Order 1910 (SR 1910/70), Imperial" or "New Zealand (Appeals to The Privy Council) Order 1910 (SR 1910/70) (as at 1 December 2004), Imperial".

Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) titles

For SOPs, the title consists of:

• the words "Supplementary Order Paper"
• the SOP number

For example, "Supplementary Order Paper No 121".

4.4. Alert messages

The following alert messages may be displayed below legislative titles:

For Acts

• "not latest version" when not the most recent version (including amendment Acts that have themselves been amended)
• "latest version but not yet in force" when current but not yet in force and not repealed
• "repealed" for Acts in the repealed collection that have been repealed
• "expired" for Acts in the repealed collection that have expired
• "spent" for Acts in the repealed collection that are spent
• "See related information and/or uncompiled amendments" when the Act being viewed is affected by amendments that have not yet been incorporated or has related information
• "previous title has changed" when the name has changed between the version being viewed and the version immediately before it

For Bills

• "not latest version" when not the most recent version
• "enacted" when enacted
• "discharged" for bills in the terminated collection that have been discharged
• "withdrawn" for bills in the terminated collection that have been withdrawn
• "defeated" for bills in the terminated collection that have been defeated
• "lapsed" for bills in the terminated collection that have lapsed
• "vetoed" for bills in the terminated collection that have been vetoed
• "previous title has changed" when the name has changed between the version being viewed and the version immediately before it

For Regulations

• "not latest version" when not the most recent version (including amendment Regulations that have themselves been amended)
• "latest version but not yet in force" when current but not yet in force and not revoked
• "revoked" for Regulations in the revoked collection that have been revoked
• "disallowed" for Regulations in the revoked collection that have been disallowed
• "spent" for Regulations in the revoked collection that are spent
• "expired" for Regulations in the revoked collection that have expired
• "See related information and/or uncompiled amendments" when the Regulation being viewed is affected by amendments that have not yet been incorporated or has related information
• "previous title has changed" when the name has changed between the version being viewed and the version immediately before it

4.5. Legislative context

When a single legislative fragment is viewed, the context of the fragment within the document is displayed. Clicking on the context heading will navigate you to that fragment. The context information is only displayed if the first fragment is within:

• a Part; or
• a subpart; or
• a schedule

5. Navigation after browsing

5.1. Introduction

After a successful browse, a page containing a list of legislation titles matching your browse criteria will be returned. When an Act or Regulation title is selected, the contents page for that item of legislation is returned.

When a Bill title is selected, the Bill’s version page is displayed. Clicking on the "Contents" link will take you to the contents page of the Bill, as will selecting the title of the version you are interested in.

5.2. Browse navigation bar

When viewing legislation, a navigation bar is displayed below the title of the legislation. The navigational bar is mirrored at the bottom of the page.

5.2.1. See other versions

All Acts, Bills, and Regulations have a "See other versions" page. This page lists all available versions of that item of legislation. For Bills, the page also details:

• Acts from this Bill
• related Bills
• Acts from related Bills
• related SOPs

Over time, the website will build up a collection of versions of legislation.

5.2.2. View PDF copy

The "View PDF copy" link takes you to a page where you can download a PDF of the legislation being viewed.

5.2.3. View whole

The "View whole" link displays the legislation being viewed in a single HTML page. The text of the link depends on the collection being viewed and will read "View whole Act", "View whole Bill", "View whole Regulation", or "View whole SOP". The link also indicates the approximate size of the HTML page.

If you click on the view whole link after a search, the legislation will be viewed with search matches highlighted.

5.2.4. Contents

The "Contents" link takes you to the main table of contents for that item of legislation. If no table of contents exists, the entire legislation will be viewed in the contents page.

In order to provide quick access to Supplementary Order Papers, an HTML-only table of contents has been created for those documents.

5.2.5. Previous

The "Previous" link takes you to the preceding fragment. This option is greyed out when no previous fragment is available.

5.2.6. Next

The "Next" link takes you to the next fragment. This option is greyed out when the last fragment for that document is being viewed.

5.2.7. Search within

The "Search within" link takes you to a page where a search can be performed on the legislation being viewed. See section 8, Searching within legislation.

6. Finding legislation by searching

6.1. Introduction

The New Zealand Legislation website is divided into four collections:

• Acts
• Bills
• Regulations
• All

You can search the Acts, Bills, and Regulations collections using quick, guided, or advanced search. For the All collection, quick and advanced search options are available.

6.2. Fragment searching

To make search results most useful, searches are performed at fragment level, rather than across an entire document. So rather than searching, for example, an entire Act, the Act is split into its many fragments and each is searched individually. Examples of fragments are:

• Sections
• Clauses
• Commentaries
• Explanatory Notes
• Reprints Notes
• Schedules
• Skeletons (amending Acts and Regulations that have transitional or uncommenced provisions)
• Tables of contents

6.3. Quick, guided, and advanced links

The search and search results pages contain links to the other search functions available for that collection. Depending on the search page being viewed, the following search links are provided:

• Quick Search
• Guided Search
• Advanced Search

A link to the Help page is also provided on all search pages.

6.4. Types of search

The following search functions are available when performing any search:

basic key words If you enter words separated by spaces, the search will find fragments that contain all of the words. For example, searching for apple pear finds fragments that contain both apple and pear but not those that only contain apple.

phrases If you enter words within quote marks, the search will find the words as they appear within the quotes. For example, searching for "green apple" finds fragments that contain green apple but not green domestic apple.

Boolean searching If you use certain words between your other search words, the search will use them to change its behaviour. These words are:

• and, meaning the search will find both words, for example, apple and pear (though the "and" is not always necessary—see basic key words)
• or, meaning the search will find either word (or both), for example, apple or pear
• not, meaning the search will specifically exclude the following word, for example, apple not pear.

To specifically search for the words and, or, or not, make them part of a phrase.

fuzzy searching The fuzzy search symbol % finds words even if they are spelt incorrectly. For example, ba%nana will find banana and bannana.

parentheses You can use parentheses (ie brackets) to make your searches more specific. Parentheses group search words into larger units. For example:

• (apple or pear) and orange finds fragments with either both apple and orange, or both pear and orange
• apple or (pear and orange) finds fragments with either just apple, or both pear and orange.

proximity searching This finds a word or phrase within a certain number of words of another word or phrase. For example, searching for apple peach w/10 peach cobbler finds fragments that contain the words apple and peach within ten words of peach and cobbler.

stemming The symbol ~ enables variations on endings to be found. For example, apply~ will find the variations applies, applied, and applying.

wildcard The wildcard symbol ? enables a single letter to be replaced, and the wildcard symbol * enables multiple letters to be replaced. For example, searching for appl? finds apply or apple, while appl* finds application as well. Avoid starting your search with a wildcard symbol.

putting them together You can use as many special search terms as are necessary to narrow your search. For example, ("domestic apple" and (pesticide or "orchard spray")) not organic will find fragments that contain the phrase domestic apple and either the word pesticide or the phrase orchard spray as long as they do not contain the word organic.

symbols Avoid using symbols in your search terms, except for the special search symbols listed above.

6.5. Quick search

The Quick search page allows you to find legislation by entering words from its title into the title field, or to search for words or phrases within legislation by using the content field.

When you use the Quick search function, only current legislation is searched by default.

In relation to Acts, "current" means the most recent publicly available version of a principal Act that has not been repealed.

In relation to Regulations, "current" means the most recent publicly available version of a principal Regulation that has not been revoked.

In relation to Bills, "current" means the most recent publicly available version of a Bill (either principal or amendment) that has not been enacted or terminated.

Amendment Acts and Regulations, and enacted Bills, are not part of the current collection but can be included in your search as an option. See 6.5.1 Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted. Amendment Bills, however, are included in the current collection.

For other ways to widen or narrow your search, see 6.6 Guided search and 6.7 Advanced search.

Example 1: Using quick search "Acts" to find an Act

To search for the Resource Management Act 1991:

1. Click on the Search "Acts" link.
2. Enter the words resource management in the Quick search title box.
   
3. Click the button located below the "Quick search title" box.
4. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Example 2: Using quick search "All" to find words

To search all legislation for the words immediate and family:

1. Click on the Search "All" link.
2. Enter the words immediate family in the Quick search content box.
3. Ensure that the Acts, Bills, and Regulations boxes are selected (a tick appears in these boxes by default).
   
4. Click the button located below the "Quick search content" box.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

Example 3: Using quick search "All" to find a phrase

To search all legislation for the phrase immediate family:

1. Click on the Search "All" link.
2. Enter the phrase "immediate family", including the quotes, in the Quick search content box.
3. Ensure that the Acts, Bills, and Regulations boxes are selected (a tick appears in these boxes by default).
   
4. Click the button located below the "Quick search content" box.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

6.5.1. Exclude/include amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, or Bills that have been enacted

When quick searching by title or by content, you have the option of including certain types of legislation which by default are excluded.

When searching Acts by title or content, you have the option of excluding or including amendment Acts and original versions of Acts.

When searching Bills by title or content, you have the option of excluding or including Bills that have been enacted.

When searching Regulations by title or content, you have the option of excluding or including amendment Regulations and original versions of Regulations.

When searching All by title or content, you have the option of excluding or including amendment legislation, original versions of legislation, and Bills that have been enacted.

Amendment Acts and Regulations are types of legislation that amend principal Acts or Regulations. Original versions are Acts or Regulations in "as enacted" form, ie without showing any subsequent amendments. Bills that have been enacted have been passed by Parliament to become Acts.

To widen your browse by including these options, click on the box to remove the tick.

The Browse pages on the website are able to include or exclude these types of legislation in a similar way. See 3.2.4 for more on this.

6.6. Guided search

The Guided search page provides you with the ability to further define your search. As well as being able to search for words, you can enter a title, year or version. The Guided search page also provides examples of what can be entered in the search boxes.

Example 1: Guided search Regulations

To search for the words civil and proceedings in the District Courts Rules 1992:

1. From the Regulations Quick search page, click on the "Guided Search" link.
2. In "Step 1 – Search Regulation content" enter the words civil proceedings.
3. In "Step 2 – Search Regulation title" enter the words district courts rules 1992.
4. Click the button.
5. To view the legislation, click on the title.
   

Example 2: Guided search Acts

To search for the words student and loans in all Acts that were enacted in 2007:

1. From the Acts Quick search page, click on the "Guided Search" link.
2. In "Step 1 – Search Act content" enter the words student loans.
3. In "Step 3 – Year enacted" enter the year "2007".
4. Click the button.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.
   

Example 3: Guided search Acts

To search for Acts that were enacted in 2007 and were then repealed:

1. From the Acts Quick search page, click on the "Guided Search" link.
2. In "Step 3 – Year enacted" enter the year "2007".
3. In "Step 4 – Version" select the version "repealed".
4. Click the button.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.
   

Example 4: Guided search Acts

To search for "as enacted" Acts that contain the word judicature:

1. From the Acts Quick search page, click on the "Guided Search" link.
2. In "Step 1 – Search Act content" enter the word judicature.
3. In "Step 4 – Version" unselect the version "current".
4. In "Step 4 – Version" select the version "as enacted".
5. Click the button.
6. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.
   

6.7. Advanced search

The advanced search page provides further options for narrowing a legislative search. The page provides you with the ability to search legislation by content, title, year, legislation number, section/clause number, type, and version.

Example 1: Advanced search Regulations

To search for rule 12 of the District Courts Rules:

1. From the Regulations Quick search page, click on the "Advanced Search" link.
2. In "Regulation title" enter the words District Courts Rules.
3. In "Clause number" enter the number "12".
4. Click the button.
5. To view the legislation, click on the title.
   

Note:

On this website, a clause refers to the basic unit of a Regulation. In the text of the Regulation itself, it may actually be called "regulation", "rule", or "clause".

Example 2: Advanced search Acts

To search all as enacted Act titles that contain the word employment:

1. From the Acts Quick search page, click on the "Advanced Search" link.
2. In "Act title" enter the word employment.
3. Under "Act version" select "choose one or more".
4. Click in the box next to the words "as enacted (principal and amendment Acts in original form" (a tick will appear).
5. Click the button.
6. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.
   

Example 3: Advanced search Acts

To find an Act by year and number:

1. From the Acts Quick search page, click on the "Advanced Search" link.
2. In "Year enacted" enter the year "1908".
3. In "Act No." enter the number "89".
4. Click the button.
5. To view the legislation, click on the name of the title you want to view.

7. Navigation after searching

7.1. Introduction

After a successful search, a page containing a list of legislation titles matching your search criteria will be returned. When a title is selected, you will be taken to the first hit in that item of legislation. The alert message "with search matches highlighted" will be displayed below the legislation title.

Also see section 4, Viewing legislation and section 5, Navigation after browsing.

7.2. Search navigation bar

When viewing legislation with hits, a third navigation bar is displayed. The navigation bar is mirrored at the bottom of the page.

7.2.1. Previous result

The "Previous result" link takes you to the preceding fragment that contains your search criteria. This option is greyed out when no previous hit fragment is available.

7.2.2. Next result

The "Next result" link takes you to the next fragment that contains your search criteria. This option is greyed out when the last hit fragment for that document is being viewed.

7.2.3. Back to search results

The link takes you back to the search results page. This page lists the legislation titles that match your search criteria.

7.2.4. Remove highlighting

This link removes hit highlighting and the search navigation bar.

8. Searching within legislation

8.1. Introduction

When viewing the content of a single legislative document, a "Search within" link is displayed. When you click on this link, the "search within" page will be displayed.

The search within page enables you to search the entire document that you were viewing. When a search has been submitted, click on the heading for the fragment that you wish to view.

Example: Searching for a phrase within a single item of legislation

To search the Judicature Act 1908 for the phrase "failure of witness":

1. Click on the Browse Acts link.
2. Click on the down arrow located in the title box.
3. Click on the letter "J".
4. Click the button located below the "Title" box.
5. Click on the title "Judicature Act 1908".
6. Click on the "Search within this Act" link.
7. Enter the search words "failure of witness", including the quotes.
8. Click the button.
9. Click on a fragment heading to view the result.
   

9. Printing, saving, and linking to legislation

9.1. Printing legislation

The legislation provided on the website in HTML has been designed for viewing on a screen or a device that supports HTML.

To print a specific fragment or the whole HTML version, navigate to it using the instructions above and then use your browser’s Print function (under the File menu on most browsers).

You can also download and print the PDF version of the legislation by clicking on the "View PDF copy" link when viewing the legislation. This link takes you to a page where you can download a PDF of the legislation being viewed. PDF versions look like traditional printed legislation, and are particularly suited to printing out.

Note that some PDF files may take a while to download because of the size of the legislation. For example, the Judicature Act 1908 is approximately 940 pages.

You can also buy official printed copies of legislation from Legislation Direct and from selected bookshops. See Buy Online.

9.2. Saving legislation

Saving files as HTML is easy in most internet browsers. Just use the File/Save As or the "Save as Web Page" command that is available in your internet browser.

You can also download and save the PDF version by clicking on the "View PDF copy" link when viewing the legislation.

9.3. Linking to legislation

For information on linking, see How to link to the New Zealand Legislation website (http://www.pco.parliament.govt.nz/linking-to-legislation-website).

Note that, while links to Acts and Regulations will be stable, each new version of a Bill will have a new URL.

10. Update alerts (RSS feed)

When legislation is published to the website, you can be notified straight away through an RSS feed.

RSS ("Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary") feeds let you read web content without actually visiting a website. They are also called "news feeds", "web feeds", or just plain "feeds".

The real benefit of subscribing to the RSS feed from this website is that you no longer need to visit the site itself to stay up-to-date on published legislation. Your RSS reader will do all the work, showing you only what's new since the last time you checked the RSS feed.

The following link is meant to be used in a feed reader, and is not presented for reading like other web pages.

The URL for the New Zealand Legislation RSS feed is www.legislation.govt.nz/subscribe/nzpco-rss.xml.

10.1. How to use the RSS feed

The first thing you need to start using RSS feeds is a 'feed reader', a piece of software that lets you read website updates.

There are different types of feed readers. Some work in your web browser, while others need to be downloaded and installed on your computer. You can choose from a number of feed readers at Google Directory.

10.2. Subscribing to the RSS feed

There are a number of ways to subscribe to the New Zealand Legislation RSS feed.

Option 1:

Click on the RSS icon that displays in your web browser address bar when you visit www.legislation.govt.nz. Save the feed to your bookmarks or favourites.

Option 2:

Click on an RSS icon. Copy and paste the URL from your browser address bar to your feed reader.

Option 3:

Copy and paste the URL www.legislation.govt.nz/subscribe/nzpco-rss.xml into your feed reader.

10.3. Find out more

For more information about RSS feeds, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS.