Act Repealed Latest version as at 07 August 1882 (as enacted) | 1882 No 8

Indemnity Act 1882

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To prevent doubt, Governor may declare Act to apply.

Indemnity Act 1882

Public Act		1882 No 8
Date of assent		7 August 1882

	Title
	Preamble.
1	Short Title.
2	Persons indemnified.
3	To prevent doubt, Governor may declare Act to apply.

An Act to indemnify certain Persons for Acts done by them on the West Coast of the North Island of New Zealand.

Preamble.

WHEREAS large numbers of aboriginal natives frequently assembled at Parihaka, in the Provincial District of Taranaki, and thereby produced undue excitement, breaches of the law, and disturbance of the public peace: And whereas, with the object of preventing such meetings and preserving the peace, certain measures were adopted by the Government of New Zealand, and carried out under their authority, some of which measures may have been in excess of legal powers, and it is expedient that the persons acting therein should be indemnified:

Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Short Title.

The Short Title of this Act is “The Indemnity Act, 1882.”

2 Persons indemnified.

Every person whosoever who shall at any time before the passing of this Act have acted under the authority of the Government of New Zealand, given either before or after any act, matter, or thing done for the preservation of the peace or good order, or in or about the resisting, apprehending, detaining, confining, imprisoning, or committing to prison of any person doing or being concerned in, or suspected of doing or being concerned in, any of the acts, matters, or things following, that is to say,—

(1.)

Destroying or damaging property, real or personal;

(2.)

Committing any of the offences specified in “The West Coast Settlement (North Island) Act, 1880;”

(3.)

Assembling or holding meetings at Parihaka, in the Provincial District of Taranaki;

(4.)

Attending any such meeting, and refusing or neglecting to disperse or depart therefrom when directed or required so to do by any person acting under the authority of the Government of New Zealand;

(5.)

Making use of seditious or threatening language; and any person who shall have damaged or destroyed any real or personal property, or searched for, seized, or taken possession of any arms or ammunition under or by virtue of such authority as aforesaid, shall be and is hereby freed, acquitted, released, indemnified, and discharged of, from, and against all actions, suits, complaints, informations, indictments, prosecutions, liabilities, and proceedings whatsoever.

3 To prevent doubt, Governor may declare Act to apply.

In order to prevent any doubt as to whether any person has acted under the authority of the Government of New Zealand, it shall be lawful for the Governor, by writing under his hand, to declare any act, matter, or thing done to come within the provisions of this Act; and such declaration, of which all Courts, Judges, and Justices shall take judicial cognizance, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact therein stated.

Indemnity Act 1882