5
The Limitation Bill introduced at the end of the year, June 2009, is the
culmination of a Commission project dating back over twenty years,
with reform long overdue. An expert reference group worked with the
Commission for two years to update historic Commission reports and
draft new legislation to replace the Limitation Act 1950. This reform
also provides a principled framework for an inaccessible and inconsistent
area of law the timeframes within which various civil actions can be
brought to court. The success of these law reform projects illustrates
the robust approach of current Cabinet processes for the Commission,
which encourage collaboration between the Commission, agencies
and professional groups to work towards legislative implementation
of proposals.
The current work programme continues four very substantial projects
that made excellent progress in the 2008/09 year under the same
independent but collaborative approach Simplification of Criminal
Procedure
,
Review of the Regulatory Framework for the Sale and Supply
of Liquor
,
Review of Privacy Laws
the Review of the Land Transfer
Act 1952.
We received a reference to conduct a eroot and branchf reform of
the law relating to the sale and supply of liquor in August 2008.
The project took shape over the year with formation of an
interdisciplinary team, including secondments from key stakeholder
departments and agencies. This is a multifaceted topic, requiring wide
and effective public consultation, and one that is a high priority for
government. Our first publication in this project,Alcohol Legislation
and the Conscience Vote
Our inquiry has so far focussed on two major consequences of excessive
use of alcohol its contribution to law and order problems, and to
serious health and injury problems. By the end of June 2009, the team
was well on the way to publication of a consultative issues
During the year we significantly enhanced our use of electronic
technology to publish papers and seek feedback on law reform
recommendations. The liquor project will take full advantage of our new
interactive website, www.talklaw.co.nz, launched in early June.
From the end of 2009, issues papers, our main consultative tool,
will only be available through our website in the first instance.
We still aim to provide an accurate overview of the legal landscape with
careful analysis of the problems and possible solutions, but consultation
can be carried out in a far more innovative and cost effective way.
Overall, the 2008/09 year was another very productive period for our
relatively small resource, with the publication of eight issues papers,
three final reports and a study paper. Four major projects were completed
during the year and three new projects began. Our achievements also
