For this project, the Commission reviews the Trustee Act 1956 and trust law generally. In the first stage of this review, the Report, Review of the Law of Trusts: A Trusts Act for New Zealand (R130) is preceded by six Issues Papers. The...
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 Social filter Social
- (-) Remove International Law filter International 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
- Commercial (18) Apply Commercial filter
- Property/Trusts (15) Apply Property/Trusts filter
- Evidence (14) Apply Evidence filter
- Customary and Treaty Settlements Law (10) Apply Customary and Treaty Settlements Law filter
- Consumer (5) Apply Consumer filter
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 December 1990
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project arises from ongoing work on damages and the introduction into Parliament of the Employment Contracts Bill.
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 1999
Last updated 11 May 2015
The purpose of this project is to review the legal framework for adoption in New Zealand as set out in the Adoption Act 1955 and the Adult Adoption Information Act 1985, and to recommend whether and how the framework should be modified to better...
Project status: Closed
Start date 10 March 1987
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project examines and reviews that part of the Accident Compensation Act 1982 which recognises and is intended to promote the general principles of community responsibility, comprehensive entitlement, complete rehabilitation, real...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 December 1990
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project considers the rules in Bain v Fothergill and Joyner v Weeks. The Commission concludes that the rules established in the two cases were unjustified and contrary to principle. It proposes that they be abolished by...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 December 1990
Last updated 11 May 2015
The Report for this project is the third arising from the Law Commission’s review of aspects of damages. In 1991, the Commission reported on Employment Contracts and the Rule in Addis v Gramophone Co (R18, 1991), and on The Rules in ...
Project status: Closed
Start date 13 September 2001
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project discusses nine current trust law problems and makes recommendations thereon. One proposal is to authorise trustees to delegate to agents their powers to administer the trust, including powers of investment and management, but...
Project status: Closed
Start date 02 May 2008
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project involved an examination of the existing mechanisms for compensating victims of crime for harm, loss or damage suffered as the result of that crime. The project considered the adequacy of these mechanisms and made proposals for any...
Project status: Closed
Start date 12 October 2006
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project involves four stages, with publications at each stage.
Stage 1: Policy Overview was a high-level analysis to assess privacy values, changes in technology, international trends, and their implications for New Zealand law. It...
Project status: Closed
Start date 03 April 1998
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project examines and reviews the law relating the apportionment of civil liability. The measure we propose includes changes enacted for England and Wales in 1978 and first proposed for New Zealand in 1983. Our proposed statute will right...