This project involved an examination of the existing mechanisms for compensating victims of crime for harm, loss or damage suffered as the result of that crime. The project considered the adequacy of these mechanisms and made proposals for any...
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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It has been more than 30 years since the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 was first enacted. The Act has been amended on numerous occasions and is complex and difficult to understand and navigate. The Act’s framework is based on the recommendations of...
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...
The Commission participated in work led by the Ministry of Justice and Police that related to legislative and other responses to organised crime.
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...
For this project, the Commission reviews existing rules of evidence around admissibility of previous convictions, similar offending and bad character. In particular, the extent to which the court is made aware of prior convictions of an accused,...
A review of maximum penalties contained in the five major criminal statutes (Crimes Act 1961, Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, Land Transport Act 1998, Arms Act 1983, and Summary Offences Act 1981) was commenced by the Commission. Changes were to be...
In 2001 the Law Commission issued a study paper titled Simplification of Criminal Procedure Legislation: An Advisory Report to the Ministry of Justice (NZLC SP7). The government responded later that year, and agreed that the Law Commission’s...
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.
This project considered whether there is a need to establish a Sentencing Council in New Zealand, and whether parole should be reformed to ensure a closer relationship between the prison sentence imposed and time served.