A class action is a court proceeding in which a group with similar interests collectively sues one or more defendants. The court proceeding is brought by a representative plaintiff on behalf of the class. We do not currently have class actions in...
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
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- Public (50) Apply Public filter
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- Property/Trusts (16) Apply Property/Trusts filter
- Customary and Treaty Settlements Law (10) Apply Customary and Treaty Settlements Law filter
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Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 2019
Last updated 27 March 2023
Project status: Closed
Start date 23 November 2020
Last updated 08 March 2023
The Government has asked Te Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission to conduct a review of surrogacy in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This review is a comprehensive examination of surrogacy law, regulation and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. The...
Project status: Closed
Start date 15 July 2015
Last updated 08 March 2023
In 2001 the Law Commission published a report examining the legal defences available to protect those who commit criminal offences as a reaction to domestic violence: “Some Criminal defences with Particular Reference to Battered Defendants”...
Project status: Closed
Start date 28 June 2016
Last updated 08 March 2023
The Law Commission and the Ministry of Justice conducted a review of the Search and Surveillance Act 2012, as is required by section 357 of that Act. The review was referred to us by the then Minister of Justice on 28 June 2016 and we jointly...
Project status: Open
Start date 06 October 2021
Last updated 06 March 2023
Te Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission is reviewing how the law should respond when an adult’s decision-making is affected.
...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 December 2014
Last updated 22 February 2023
This project reviews the laws that determine how security sensitive information should be dealt with in court proceedings. The review looks at how to protect information that may prejudice New Zealand’s security. It also considers whether the...
Project status: Closed
Start date 24 May 2016
Last updated 22 February 2023
This project examined New Zealand’s relationship property legislation.
The Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA) sets out the rules for how property owned by either or both partners is divided when they separate or when one of them dies...
Project status:
Start date 18 November 2022
Last updated 21 December 2022
Work has not yet begun on this project.
Te Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission has been asked to undertake a review of legal responses to hate. The Commission has been asked to consider how the law should respond...
Project status: Open
Start date 16 January 2023
Last updated 21 December 2022
The Minister responsible for the Law Commission, Hon Kiri Allan, has asked Te Aka Matua o te Ture | Law Commission to review the protections in the Human Rights Act 1993 for transgender people, non-binary people and people with diverse sex...
Project status: Researching issues
Start date 30 May 2022
Last updated 28 September 2022
The Evidence Act 2006 brings together most of the rules of evidence in a single statute. It was based on the Law Commission’s 1999 report and decade-long review of evidence law in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In February 2022, the Minister of...