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...
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
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- (-) Remove Awaiting Government Response filter Awaiting Government Response
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- (-) Remove Closed filter Closed
Areas of law
- (-) Remove Criminal filter Criminal
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- International Law (7) Apply International Law filter
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 August 2006
Last updated 11 May 2015
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.
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 October 2000
Last updated 11 May 2015
The purpose of this project is to simplify the statutory provisions governing the laying of criminal charges and infringement offences and their progress through the court system to the point of determination, including appeals, so as to remove...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 June 2000
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project addresses the issue of whether in the interests of effective processes of tax assessment there should be a modification (beyond that already contained in the Tax Administration Act 1994 section 20) of the rules protecting from...
Project status: Closed
Start date 13 January 1998
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project urgently reviews the law on dishonestly procuring valuable benefits. The Court of Appeal decision in R v Wilkinson (13 October 1998, CA 122/98) demonstrates that certain dishonest actions which constitute the offence of theft or...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
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...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
The Commission participated in work led by the Ministry of Justice and Police that related to legislative and other responses to organised crime.
Project status: Closed
Start date 18 January 2001
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project is a response to the July 2000 decision of Doogue J in Natural Gas Corporation Holdings Ltd v Infratil 1998 Ltd [2000] 3 NZLR 727.
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 February 1999
Last updated 11 May 2015
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...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 March 1994
Last updated 11 May 2015
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...