In 2011, the Law Commission was asked to review the use of pecuniary penalties as a regulatory tool. These are financial penalties that policymakers are increasingly opting to use in place of criminal sanctions, to punish and deter misconduct 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
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Areas of law
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Project status: Closed
Start date 01 June 2010
Last updated 07 October 2015
Project status: Closed
Start date 14 April 2009
Last updated 11 May 2015
By enabling scrutiny of government activities, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 contribute to public trust and confidence in central and local government. The operating...
Project status: Closed
Start date 14 March 2009
Last updated 27 May 2015
For this project, the Commission reviews the Trustee Act 1956 and trust law generally. In the first stage of this review, the Report, Review of the Law of Trusts: A Trusts Act for New Zealand (R130) is preceded by six Issues Papers. The...
Project status: Closed
Start date 06 August 2008
Last updated 11 May 2015
More than 20 years have passed since the framework for the sale of liquor laws was established by the 1986 Working Party on Liquor. The resulting Sale of Liquor Act 1989 has been amended many times over the years, and its overall coherence has...
Project status: Closed
Start date 02 May 2008
Last updated 11 May 2015
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...
Project status: Closed
Start date 10 January 2008
Last updated 11 May 2015
The Commission was asked to consider and report on whether existing legislation should be amended to cover the conduct of individuals that creates risk to, or public concern about, the preservation of public safety and security. The work is...
Project status: Closed
Start date 12 October 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
This Act has not been reviewed for many years and is out of date in a number of respects. The Act covers a range of interests, including remuneration of the Governor-General, Ministers and Members of Parliament, which make independent...
Project status: Closed
Start date 12 October 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
This project involves examining the possibility of simplifying the expression and content of the law of judicial review in the Judicature Amendment Act 1972 and Part 7 of the High Court Rules. The focus of this review will be procedural; it will...
Project status: Closed
Start date 12 October 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
The Law Commission’s report 'A New Support Scheme for Veterans: A Report on the Review of the War Pensions Act 1954' was published on 1 June 2010. The report makes recommendations for new legislation to replace the War Pensions Act 1954. One of...
Project status: Closed
Start date 01 July 2007
Last updated 11 May 2015
The Law Commission, in conjunction with Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), reviewed the Land Transfer Act 1952 and amendment Acts. An Issues Paper (IP10) was published in October 2008. The aim of the review was to modernise and streamline the...