This independent unit within the Commission drafted a comprehensive package of sentencing and parole guidelines for consideration by the Sentencing Council when it was established in 2008.
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
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- (-) Remove Researching issues filter Researching issues
- Awaiting Government Response (3) Apply Awaiting Government Response filter
- Open (7) Apply Open filter
- (-) Remove Closed filter Closed
Areas of law
- (-) Remove Other filter Other
- (-) Remove Civil filter Civil
- (-) Remove Family filter Family
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- Courts and Dispute Resolution (38) Apply Courts and Dispute Resolution filter
- Criminal (35) Apply Criminal filter
- Human Rights (23) Apply Human Rights filter
- Social (21) Apply Social filter
- Commercial (17) Apply Commercial filter
- Property/Trusts (14) Apply Property/Trusts filter
- Evidence (13) Apply Evidence filter
- Customary and Treaty Settlements Law (10) Apply Customary and Treaty Settlements Law filter
- Consumer (5) Apply Consumer filter
- International Law (5) Apply International Law filter
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 August 2006
Last updated 11 May 2015
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 1998
Last updated 11 May 2015
In 1997, the Law Commission was approached by the Securities Commission and invited to consider the law relating to retirement villages, as part of a wider project relating to the marketing of undivided interests in land, which would have the...
Project status: Closed
Start date 17 October 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
The Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920 was identified by the Commission as being in need of review as part of its wider assessment of New Zealand Statute Law. A Report was released in 2009.
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
Part 8 of the Crimes Act 1961 deals with crimes against the person. The project reviewed the adequacy and coherence of the current offence provisions, considered whether there were any gaps in them and revised maximum penalty levels. The project...
Project status: Closed
Start date 19 October 2006
Last updated 11 May 2015
Advice provided by the Law Commission to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee on Sue Bradford's Crimes (Abolition of Force as a Justification for Child Discipline) Amendment Bill.
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 January 2002
Last updated 11 May 2015
The purpose of this project is to consider: whether there is a need for clarifying or extending the power of the Family Court to require a person to whom Part I of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 applies to live in...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 December 2000
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project originally commenced in 1994 at the suggestion of the Honourable Justice Durie, who at that time was Chief Judge of the Mäori Land Court. Justice Durie was of the view that some knowledge of Mäori custom would greatly assist judges...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 September 1999
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project sought to address issues in the Matrimonial Property Bill and the De Facto Relationships (Property) Bill introduced on 24 March 1998. The key issues were a) there were marked differences between the rights under the two bills of de...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 February 1999
Last updated 11 May 2015
The purpose of this project was to examine and review the Limitation Act, which lays down rules for determining the cut-off dates after which it is too late for an intending plaintiff to bring a civil claim. When the Government indicated it...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 December 1998
Last updated 11 May 2015
The purpose of this project is to consider and report on the law affecting Maori fisheries.