Project Overview
The Criminal Procedure (Simplification) project was a joint project between the Ministry of Justice and the Law Commission. It had two objectives: to reduce unnecessary court delays through legislative and operational change, and to create a more accessible and simplified criminal procedure.
The project reflected many of the recommendations made in the Law Commission’s 2005 Report Pre-Trial Processes: Justice Through Efficiency (NZLC R89). It also incorporated a reference received by the Commission to review the law relating to the suppression of names and evidence.
The Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill, which reflected the Project’s final proposals, was introduced into Parliament in November 2010 and passed in October 2011. In its final stages in Parliament, the Bill was separated into a number of separate Acts. This includes the Criminal Procedure Act 2011, which contains the majority of the Project’s proposals.