In August 2000, we were asked, as part of the insolvency law review, to provide further advisory reports to the Ministry of Economic Development. The topics which we were asked to consider were:
(a) the role of the State in insolvency law...
Our projects
Each project is an area of law or subject matter that the Law Commission has agreed to review. The Commission works on several projects at a time. Together, these projects make up the Commission's annual work programme.
Use the search filters below to find particular projects. For more information on how we work see how we conduct projects.
Project status
Areas of law
- (-) Remove Civil filter Civil
- (-) Remove Customary and Treaty Settlements Law filter Customary and Treaty Settlements Law
- Public (47) Apply Public filter
- Courts and Dispute Resolution (40) Apply Courts and Dispute Resolution filter
- Criminal (37) Apply Criminal filter
- Other (30) Apply Other filter
- Human Rights (23) Apply Human Rights filter
- Family (22) Apply Family filter
- Social (21) Apply Social filter
- Commercial (18) Apply Commercial filter
- Property/Trusts (15) Apply Property/Trusts filter
- Evidence (14) Apply Evidence filter
- International Law (7) Apply International Law filter
- Consumer (5) Apply Consumer filter
The purpose of this project is to provide advice on whether existing classes of preferred creditors should continue to enjoy advantages over unsecured creditors when bankruptcy or liquidation intervened. The request for advice was made in the...
This project is a response to the Lange v Atkinson decision. Mr Lange, a former prime minister of New Zealand, claims damages for defamation from the author of an article published in a monthly magazine with a New Zealand-wide circulation and...
This project consists of seminars that focus on and provoke discussion of the underlying objectives and overall coherence of the reforms of various laws affecting intellectual property.
This project examines the law of general discovery. The essential issue is on whether and how the virtues of the existing rules as to general discovery could be preserved while at the same time eliminating waste and extravagance from the process...
The Law Commission Report, Waka Umanga: a Proposed Law for Māori Governance Entities, was published in May 2006. In 2007, a Waka Umanga (Māori Corporations) Bill was drafted with Parliamentary Counsel office, and consultation with Māori...
The Commission has undertaken a review of the current regulatory environment for the news media with respect to its adequacy in catering for new and emerging forms of news media – sometimes referred to as the “new media”.
The 3 questions...
The Law Commission, in conjunction with Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), reviewed the Land Transfer Act 1952 and amendment Acts. An Issues Paper (IP10) was published in October 2008. The aim of the review was to modernise and streamline the...
This project reviews the joint and several liability rule, and considers alternatives. The Commission carries out a broad review of the effects of the rule across all sectors.
The joint and several liability rule determines the liability...
This project explores the interaction between custom and human rights in the Pacific, including New Zealand, by articulating some of the issues arising from this interaction and how the two can inform each other.