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
- (-) Remove Awaiting Government Response filter Awaiting Government Response
- Discontinued (1) Apply Discontinued filter
- Preparing report (1) Apply Preparing report filter
- (-) Remove Researching issues filter Researching issues
- Open (3) Apply Open filter
- (-) Remove Closed filter Closed
Areas of law
- (-) Remove Civil filter Civil
- (-) Remove Other filter Other
- Public (46) Apply Public filter
- Courts and Dispute Resolution (39) Apply Courts and Dispute Resolution filter
- Criminal (37) Apply Criminal filter
- Human Rights (24) Apply Human Rights filter
- Family (22) Apply Family filter
- Social (22) Apply Social filter
- Commercial (16) 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
- International Law (7) Apply International Law filter
- Consumer (5) Apply Consumer filter
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
The purpose of this project is to consider and report on the law affecting Maori fisheries.
This project considers the law of Parliamentary privilege in New Zealand.
This project proposes a draft Property Law Act to replace the Property Law Act 1952. One of the most important objectives of the new Act is to set forth rules of property law accessibly and in a manner which, allowing for the subject matter, can...
This project reviews the Property Law Act 1952. At the same time the Department of Justice is reviewing aspects of the Land Transfer Act 1952 because new techology is proposed for the system of registration. This project is concerned with certain...