WHEREAS by Proclamation dated the eleventh day of September, one thousand nine hundred and five, it was declared and proclaimed that an International Exhibition will be opened in the City of Christchurch not later than the first day of November, one thousand nine hundred and six, and it is desirable that certain provision be made for the same:

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 New Zealand International Exhibition Empowering Act, 1905.”

2 Appointment of Executive Commissioner.

(1.)

The Governor in Council may from time to time appoint some fit person or persons to be Executive Commissioners for the International Exhibition mentioned in the said Proclamation (hereinafter referred to as “the said Exhibition”).

(2.)

Subject to the provisions of this Act, such Commissioner or Commissioners shall carry out and superintend the said Exhibition.

3 Control of land for purposes of Exhibition.

The control of the land described in the Schedule hereto shall vest in the said Commissioner or Commissioners for such period as may be necessary for the purposes of the Exhibition.

4 Duties of Commissioner

The said Executive Commissioner or Commissioners, under the direction of the Colonial Secretary, shall take all measures necessary for providing, erecting, altering, lighting, and maintaining the buildings and premises required for the Exhibition and for providing means of access thereto, and for securing and obtaining the most effective display of all articles received for public exhibit.

5 Waters of River Avon may be raised.

(1.)

The said Executive Commissioner or Commissioners may, subject to the approval of the Christchurch City Council and Drainage Board engineers, execute such works as may be necessary to raise the waters in that portion of the River Avon included in the lands described in the Schedule hereto.

(2.)

No claim of any kind whatever shall be made in respect of such raising:

Provided that every reasonable precaution is taken to prevent damage being done.

6 Commissioner’s regulations.

(1.)

The Governor may from time to time, by Order in Council gazetted, make such regulations as he thinks fit for any of the following purposes:—

(a.)

The due management of the affairs of the said Exhibition in its several departments;

(b.)

The temporary admission or exclusion of the public or any individual to and from the Exhibition or buildings or grounds, or any part thereof respectively, and the behaviour to be observed therein;

(c.)

The sum to be demanded and paid for admission to the Exhibition or buildings or grounds, or any part thereof respectively, and the manner in which all moneys received by the Commissioner or Commissioners shall be applied; and

(d.)

The purposes of public instruction, enjoyment, or entertainment for which any buildings or grounds or any part thereof may be used and applied.

(2.)

Every person who commits a breach of any such regulation is liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.

7 Exhibits may be admitted into New Zealand free of Customs duties.

Subject to any regulations from time to time made by the Governor in Council, and on receiving a statutory declaration from any importer, exhibitor, or his agent of his intention to exhibit any articles specified in such declaration at the said Exhibition, it shall be lawful for the Commissioner of Customs, by order under his hand, to authorise the admission into New Zealand, without payment of any duties of Customs, of any articles so intended as exhibits:

Provided that such articles shall be liable to Customs duties if sold or retained in New Zealand after the close of the Exhibition.

8 Certain Acts not to apply.

The Governor may, by Order in Council gazetted, declare that the provisions of “The Factories Act, 1901,”“The Shops and Offices Act, 1904,” and “The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1900,” or such of them as he thinks fit, shall not apply to the said Exhibition or to the said Executive Commissioner or Commissioners, or to any person employed by him or them, or to any exhibitor, or to any person employed in or about the said Exhibition.

9 Local authorities may exhibit.

(1.)

Any local authority may out of its ordinary revenue defray the cost of collecting and preparing exhibits of the products and resources of its district, and of exhibiting the same at the said Exhibition.

(2.)

For the purposes of this section “local authority”includes the Council of any city or borough or county, and any Road Board, Town Board, Harbour Board, and Education Board.

10 International Exbition Account.

(1.)

All moneys appropriated by Parliament for the purposes of the Exhibition, and all moneys received by the Commissioner or Commissioners in respect of the Exhibition, shall be paid into the bank at which the Public Account is kept, to the credit of an account to be called “the International Exhibition Account.”

(2.)

The moneys standing to the credit of the last-mentioned account shall from time to time be applied to the purposes of the Exhibition by the Commissioner or Commissioners under the direction of the Colonial Secretary.

Schedule Description of Land to be temporarily reserve for the Christchurch Exhibition Buildings

All that portion of the North Hagley Park containing by admeasurement 124 acres, more or less, being part of Reserve 24, City of Christchurch: bounded towards the north by the south side of the Park Road; on the east by the pathway along the western side of the Park Terrace between the Carlton Bridge and the south side of the Armagh Street Bridge; on the south by the south bank of the Avon River to the footbridge leading into the Public Gardens, thence by the east side of the said bridge to the north bank of the river, thence by the east side of the footpath near the riverbank to the Park Ride, thence by the said Ride a distance of about chains; and on the west by a line running due north to Park Road, the said line being 3 chains distant due east from Trig. Station H2: as the same is delineated on the plan deposited in the office of the Chief Surveyor, Christchurch.

New Zealand International Exhibition Empowering Act 1905