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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.

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Class Actions and Litigation Funding

Project status: Calling for submissions Start date Last updated 08 December 2020

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...

Review of Succession Law

Project status: Researching issues Start date 18 December 2019 Last updated 16 April 2020

The Law Commission will review the law of succession. The law of succession is the system of rules that governs who gets a person’s property when they die.

In July 2019 the Minister Responsible for the Law Commission requested that the...

Review of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976

Project status: Closed Start date 24 May 2016 Last updated 28 November 2019

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...

Second Review of the Evidence Act 2006

Project status: Closed Start date 20 February 2017 Last updated 03 September 2019

For nearly 30 years the Law Commission has been engaged in reforming the law of evidence in New Zealand. 

In August 1989 the Minister of Justice asked the Commission to review all evidence law to make it as clear, simple and accessible as...

Alternative approaches to abortion law

Project status: Closed Start date 27 February 2018 Last updated 30 August 2019

On 27 February 2018 the Minister of Justice wrote to the Law Commission noting the Government was considering how best to ensure New Zealand’s abortion laws are consistent with treating abortion as a health issue.

The Minister asked the...

Search & Surveillance Act 2012

Project status: Awaiting Government Response Start date 28 June 2016 Last updated 15 October 2018

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...

First Review of the Evidence Act 2006

Project status: Closed Start date 28 February 2012 Last updated 22 February 2017

Section 202(1) of the Evidence Act required the Commission to report to the Minister of Justice on the following matters:
 (a) the operation of the provisions of the Act since its commencement;
(b) whether those provisions should be...

Burial and Cremation Law

Project status: Closed Start date 01 July 2010 Last updated 28 September 2016

On this project, the Law Commission undertook a first principles review of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964.  The Act’s primary purpose is to ensure provision is made for the burial of the dead in a controlled and respectful manner...

Protection of Classified and Security Sensitive Information

Project status: Awaiting Government Response Start date 01 December 2014 Last updated 14 December 2015

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...

Cross-Border Insolvency

Project status: Closed Start date 06 May 1998 Last updated 21 August 2015

In October 1997 the Law Commission started a new project on the subject of international trade with the project’s first report, Electronic Commerce Part One: A Guide for the Legal and Business Community (NZLC R50) released a year later. This is...

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