Foundations for the State

Key statutes

  • Constitution Act 1986
  • Imperial Laws Application Act 1988
  • Legislation Act 2012 (disallowance only)
  • Oaths and Declarations Act 1957
  • Royal Succession Act 2013
  • Law Commission Act 1985
  • Interpretation Act 1999

Key secondary legislation

  • Oaths and Declarations (Māori Language) Regulations 2004
  • Royal Succession Act Commencement Order 2015

Information/links to recent or currently underway reviews

The Legislation Act 2012 will be repealed and replaced with the Legislation Act 2019, after the enactment of the Secondary Legislation Bill later in 2021.

Legislation Act 2019(external link)

The disallowance provisions have been clarified but do not change how they currently operate.

Forward work

  • Oaths and Declarations: (Māori Language) Regulations 2004: Not all oaths and declarations in the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957 have a te reo Māori translated version. Justice officials are progressing work on new regulations that would help address this gap.
  • Constitution Act 1986: The New Zealand Labour Party & Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand Cooperation Agreement signals an intention to consider the length of the Parliamentary term – which is set out in the Constitution Act. Justice officials will support the Government if any changes are considered.