A
Act
An Act is a law made by Parliament. Before an Act is made by Parliament it is a proposed law called a Bill. There are three main types of Act: public, private, and local. There are also a small number of older provincial and imperial Acts. See About Acts for more information.
administering agency
The administering agency, in relation to legislation, means the department, instrument of the Crown, Office of Parliament, Parliamentary agency, Crown entity, local authority, or other person that:
is recorded on this website as the administering agency for the legislation; or
is, or will be, responsible for administering the legislation.
The administering agency is responsible for the legislation, and has various duties under the Legislation Act 2019 relating to the publication of secondary legislation.
The administering agency is shown in several places, including above the title on legislation pages and in search results. It is also shown for secondary legislation displayed in the Secondary legislation tab of the empowering Act.
agency-drafted legislation
Agency-drafted legislation is all secondary legislation that is not required to be drafted by the PCO under section 67 of the Legislation Act 2019. The relevant administering agency is responsible for the drafting of agency-published legislation.
agency-published legislation
Agency-published legislation is all secondary legislation that is not required to be published by the PCO under section 69 of the Legislation Act 2019. The relevant administering agency is responsible for the publication of agency-published legislation.
See also PCO-published secondary legislation.
The publication requirements for any specific secondary legislation are set out in the publication note that follows the empowering provision for that secondary legislation.
amendment act
An amendment Act is an Act whose main purpose is to make changes to other legislation.
Amendment Paper (AP)
An Amendment Paper (AP) sets out proposed amendments to a Bill. It may be in the name of a member of Parliament or a Minister. Before 8 December 2023, Amendment Papers were known as Supplementary Order Papers (SOPs). See About Bills for more on Amendment Papers.
amendment secondary legislation
Amendment secondary legislation is secondary legislation whose main purpose is to make changes to other legislation.
amendments
Changes made to an Act or secondary legislation are called amendments. By default, search results on this website show the latest consolidation where available.
as at date
A consolidation (or reprint) of legislation incorporates the amendments made to the legislation so that it shows the law “as at” its stated date. This is the “as at” date.
as enacted
The original version of an Act when it was passed into law. An Act is enacted when it has received the Royal assent. This is distinct from its commencement date.
as made
The original version of secondary legislation when it was made into law. Secondary legislation is made when it is approved by the person empowered to make it. This is distinct from its commencement date. See commencement.
assent
See Royal assent.
B
Bill
A Bill is a proposed Act. A Bill appears on this website when it has been introduced to Parliament. The text of a Bill may change as it goes through the legislative process (see Bill number). Not all Bills become Acts. See About Bills for more information.
Bill number
Bills are given a number when they are introduced to Parliament. This number displays in the Bill below the Bill title and in search results. A version number is shown after the Bill number, for example, the introduced version would be 100—1, the second version would be 100—2.
C
clause
Refers to the basic unit of a Bill, of secondary legislation, or of a schedule within legislation. Each clause has its own number and usually deals with a separate subject or idea. When a Bill becomes an Act, its clauses become sections.
Within secondary legislation, the basic unit may be referred to by another term, for example "regulation" or "rule".
commencement
The time when legislation comes into force.
commentary
After a select committee has examined a Bill, it will report back to Parliament. The select committee includes a commentary in a “reported-back” version of the Bill, at the start of the Bill. The select committee’s commentary describes the issues that submitters have raised or the committee has considered and explains the changes to the Bill that the committee recommends.
Committee of the whole House
A committee of all members of Parliament presided over by a chairperson. The committee considers Bills in detail after their second reading. During this stage any member may propose amendments to a Bill. See also Amendment Paper.
consolidation
A version of legislation that incorporates the amendments made to the legislation so that it shows the law as at its stated date.
There may be multiple consolidations, each with different "as at" dates. These enable a user to locate a specific version of legislation with amendments incorporated "as at" a particular date. For more about consolidations, see About Acts, About secondary legislation, and the Parliamentary Counsel Office website: PCO Editorial Conventions For Consolidations.
consolidation notes
Consolidation notes, headed “Notes”, appear at the end of a consolidation. They explain the consolidation status and list the amendments incorporated in that particular consolidation.
Consolidation notes in unofficial legislation may refer to the legislation as an eprint.
D
disallow
Parliament may, by resolution, disallow secondary legislation. Disallowed legislation ceases to have effect when the resolution is passed or on a set date.
There are exceptions where Parliament does not have this power. See the publication note under the empowering provision to confirm whether the secondary legislation may be disallowed or not (for example, see the note under section 68 of the Legislation Act 2019). See What does the Regulations Review Committee do? on the Parliament website for more about Parliamentary oversight and how secondary legislation can be disallowed.
disclosure statement
A disclosure statement is prepared by the administering agency. It provides information about the development and content of legislation proposed by the government. The explanatory note of a Bill (or Amendment Paper) may link to a disclosure statement. Disclosure statements are available at disclosure.legislation.govt.nz.
E
empowering Act or empowering provision
An empowering Act or provision, in relation to any secondary legislation, means:
the Act or provision of an Act or secondary legislation (the empowering legislation) that empowers the making of the secondary legislation; or
the Royal prerogative (for legislation made under the Royal prerogative).
Empowering provisions will state that an instrument made under it is secondary legislation and who can make it. A publication note published after an empowering provision will set out the publication, presentation, and disallowance requirements for secondary legislation made under that provision.
eprint
A superseded term referring to an online-only version of a consolidation of unofficial legislation. See consolidation and consolidation notes.
explanatory note
Explanatory notes explain the legislation’s policy objective or what it does (or both) and other information related to the legislation. They appear in:
“as introduced” Bills
as-made PCO-published secondary legislation
some Amendment Papers
some agency-published legislation.
Some secondary legislation includes the term "statement of reasons" instead of “explanatory note”.
G
Gazette
The New Zealand Gazette is the official newspaper of the Government of New Zealand. PCO-published secondary legislation is notified in the Gazette after it is made. The date of notification in the Gazette is given at the end of the secondary legislation, under administrative information or the Gazette information. Agency-published legislation may be published or notified in the Gazette.
government Bill
A government Bill is a Bill introduced into Parliament by a member of Parliament in their capacity as a Minister. Government Bills deal with matters of public policy, and if enacted become public Acts.
Governor-General
The Governor-General is the Sovereign's representative in New Zealand. See also Royal assent.
H
history notes
History notes are added under a provision or other element when it is amended, identifying the date and source of each amendment. See Legislation is updated when amendments come into force for an example.
History notes relate to the version of legislation that they are published in. A history note is removed when the change it describes is superseded by another change.
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is a body made up of elected individuals who are called members of Parliament (MPs). See Parliament.
I
Imperial Acts
Imperial Acts are Acts of the Parliaments of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom that are part of the law of New Zealand under the Imperial Laws Application Act 1988.
Imperial subordinate legislation
Imperial subordinate legislation is secondary legislation in force in New Zealand under the Imperial Laws Application Act 1988.
in force
In force means that the Act or the secondary legislation has the force of law. It is in force unless it is repealed, revoked, or not yet in force. The website label “in force” is applied if any substantive provision has come into force, so check the commencement provisions for when individual provisions come into force.
Agency-published legislation is labelled “in force” by default, and should be viewed at source to confirm its status.
introduced
A Bill is introduced when a member of Parliament formally puts it before Parliament for consideration. Once a Bill is introduced, it is publicly available and published on this website.
L
legislation
On this website, legislation refers to Acts, Bills, secondary legislation, and Amendment Papers. Bills and Amendment Papers are proposed legislation and do not have the force of law.
legislative history
For Bills and Acts, legislative history includes a summary of the key dates of a Bill's progress through its legislative stages in Parliament. These dates can include:
when the Bill was introduced
when it was reported back to the House from the select committee
when it received Royal assent.
These dates, headed "Legislative history", appear at the end of post-introduction versions of Bills and at the end of as-enacted versions of Acts (although not in older Acts).
See consolidation notes and history notes for other notes about the history of an Act post-enactement.
Legislative Instruments
“Legislative Instrument” is a superseded term for a class of secondary legislation that, in general, corresponds to secondary legislation that is drafted and published by the PCO. The Legislative Instruments publication series used an “LI” reference number (for example, LI 2020/46).
local Act
A local Act applies only to a particular part of New Zealand. Examples are the Aid to Water-Power Works Act 1910 and the Masterton Trust Lands Act 2003.
local Bill
A local Bill is a Bill promoted by a local authority to deal with specific issues in their area. It is introduced by a Member of Parliament and becomes a local Act if enacted.
M
member's Bill
A member's Bill is a Bill promoted by a member of Parliament who is not a Minister. See also government Bill. A member’s Bill deals with matters of public policy, and becomes a public Act if it is enacted.
minimum legislative information
Minimum legislative information (MLI or legislative information or metadata), in relation to secondary legislation, means its title, empowering provision, the administering agency, and certain other information about it. See section 5 of the Legislation Act 2019. MLI enables users to identify secondary legislation and make sense of what it is, when it was made, and where it originated from.
N
not in force
This refers to any whole or part of an Act or secondary legislation that has been enacted or made but that has not yet come into force or has been repealed or revoked. See also not yet in force.
Agency-published legislation should be viewed at source to confirm its status.
not yet in force
This refers to any whole or part of an Act or secondary legislation that has been enacted or made but that has not yet come into force.
On this website, legislation will be shown as not yet in force if no substantive provisions have come into force. Check the commencement provisions for when individual provisions come into force (see About legislation status).
Agency-published legislation should be viewed at source to confirm its status.
note
See publication note.
O
official
An official version is taken by the Courts to correctly state the law without any further proof of its accuracy. Only legislation that contains the New Zealand Coat of Arms is official. See About legislation status for more information about identifying official legislation.
This term is not relevant to proposed legislation (Bills or Amendment Papers).
Order in Council
An Order in Council is a type of secondary legislation that is made by the Executive Council presided over by the Governor-General. For more information about the Executive Council, see the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website. (Note that regulations are made by Order in Council but do not include “Order in Council” in their title.)
ordinance
See provincial Act
Other Instruments
This is a superseded term that was previously used on this website to describe a limited and incomplete collection of links to agency-published legislation. See agency-published legislation.
P
Parliament
Parliament is New Zealand's supreme law-making body. Parliament is made up of the House of Representatives and the Sovereign, who is represented in New Zealand by the Governor-General. For more information, see the New Zealand Parliament website.
Parliamentary Counsel Office | Te Tari Tohutohu Pāremata
New Zealand's Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) is New Zealand’s law drafting and publication office, and the Government’s legislative advisor. It provides and maintains this website, where most of New Zealand’s legislation can be accessed.
For more information, see Role of the PCO.
PCO
PCO-published secondary legislation
Secondary legislation that is published by the PCO on the NZ Legislation website. It is usually drafted by the PCO. See Legislation drafted and published by the PCO. See also Agency-published legislation.
The publication requirements for any specific secondary legislation are set out in the publication note that follows the empowering provision for that secondary legislation.
Portable document format, intended for downloading and printing.
principal Act
A principal Act sets out the law that applies to a particular topic (see also an amendment Act).
principal secondary legislation
Principal secondary legislation sets out the law that applies to a particular topic under an Act (see also amendment secondary legislation).
private Act
A private Act is an Act that deals with the particular interest or benefit of an identified person or body of persons. Two examples are the Wills’s Road Hall Act 1935 and the Sydenham Money Club Act 2001.
private Bill
A private Bill is a Bill promoted by a person or body of persons for the particular interest or benefit of that person or body of persons. It is introduced by a member of Parliament and becomes a private Act if enacted.
provincial Act
A provincial Act (or provincial Ordinance) is an Act that dates to the time when New Zealand was a colony divided into provinces. Each province had the jurisdiction to pass legislation that only applied within that province.
public Act
Public Acts deal with matters of public policy. Both government Bills and member's Bills become public Acts if enacted.
publication note
Publication notes are inserted by the PCO when publishing and consolidating legislation. These types of notes do not form part of the text of the official version of legislation. Examples of these types of notes include:
a record of the legislative history of the legislation (including consolidation notes and history notes)
information about publication, presentation, and disallowance requirements for secondary legislation (see for example the note under section 68 of the Legislation Act 2019)
information about commencement.
R
regulations
Regulations are a type of secondary legislation made by Order in Council and drafted and published by the PCO.
regulatory impact statement
A regulatory impact statement (RIS) summarises the responsible agency's advice given to inform policy decisions relating to the creation of legislation. The explanatory note of a Bill, secondary legislation, or Amendment Paper may link to an RIS. RISs are usually available on the agency’s website and at Regulatory impact statements (RISs) - Ministry for Regulation.
repealed Act
A repealed Act is no longer in force. When searching on this website, an Act that is spent or expired will also be found under repealed Acts.
reprint
See consolidation.
reprint notes
See consolidation notes.
revoked secondary legislation
Revoked secondary legislation is no longer in force. When searching on this website, secondary legislation that is spent, has been disallowed, or has expired will be found under revoked secondary legislation.
Royal assent
Royal assent (assent) is given by the Sovereign or the Governor-General as the Sovereign's representative. Before a Bill passed by Parliament can become an Act, it requires Royal assent.
S
schedule
A schedule is content that may be included at the end of legislation. It forms part of that legislation. Schedules often include detailed administrative or technical content.
secondary legislation
Secondary legislation is legislation that is made by someone other than Parliament. It is made under a power that Parliament has formally delegated in a particular Act. There is also a small amount of secondary legislation made under the Royal prerogative (and not under an Act). Secondary legislation is defined in section 5 of the Legislation Act 2019.
There are many types of secondary legislation, including regulations, rules, Orders in Council, and notices.
See About secondary legislation and Agency-published legislation available on this website.
section
A section is the basic unit of an Act. Each section has its own number and usually deals with a separate subject or idea.
select committee
Select committees are small groups of members of Parliament who are appointed to consider parliamentary business on behalf of the House. For more information, see Select committees on the New Zealand Parliament website.
Supplementary Order Paper or SOP
Supplementary Order Paper, a term that has been superseded by by Amendment Paper.
T
terminated
Refers to a Bill that has been defeated, discharged, vetoed, or withdrawn, or has lapsed. A terminated Bill has failed to become an Act.
type
For an Act, "type" refers to public, local, private, provincial, or imperial. For a Bill, "type" refers to government, local, private, or member's. There are dozens of types of secondary legislation, grouped on this website under regulations, order, rules, code, bylaw, determination, exemption, notice, instrument, other type.
Y
year
For an Act, "year" means the year it was enacted. For a Bill, "year" means the year it was introduced. For PCO-published secondary legislation, "year" means the year it was made.