Legislation (Publication) Regulations 2021
Version as at 5 April 2025
Legislation (Publication) Regulations 2021
(LI 2021/246)
Patsy Reddy, Governor-General
Order in Council
At Wellington this 13th day of September 2021
Present:
The Right Hon Jacinda Ardern presiding in Council
Note
The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.
Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.
These regulations are administered by the Parliamentary Counsel Office.
These regulations are made under section 147 of the Legislation Act 2019—
(a)
on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council; and
(b)
on the recommendation of the Attorney-General.
Contents
Regulations
1 Title
These regulations are the Legislation (Publication) Regulations 2021.
2 Commencement
These regulations come into force on 28 October 2021.
3 Meaning of published on maker’s website
A requirement that secondary legislation or other information be published on the maker’s website is met if the secondary legislation or information is published on an Internet site—
(a)
that is maintained by or on behalf of—
(i)
the maker; or
(ii)
if the maker is a Minister, the Governor-General, or the House of Representatives, the administering agency for the secondary legislation; and
(b)
from which members of the public can access and download it free of charge at all times (as far as practicable).
4 Meaning of notified in Gazette
(1)
A requirement that secondary legislation be notified in the Gazette is met if notice of its making is published in the Gazette.
(2)
The notice must include the following information about the secondary legislation:
(a)
its Title:
(b)
the date on which it was made:
(c)
the empowering provision under which it was made:
(d)
the administering agency responsible for administering it:
(e)
the Internet site where it is published:
(f)
a statement that it is secondary legislation for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2019.
5 Transitional, savings, and related provisions
The transitional, savings, and related provisions (if any) set out in Schedule 1 have effect according to their terms.
Part 1 Publishing and making available certain secondary legislation
6 Purpose
This Part sets out the minimum requirements for publishing, notifying, and otherwise making available secondary legislation (the publication requirements) for the purposes of section 74(1)(aa) of the Legislation Act 2019.
7 Secondary legislation to which this Part applies
The publication requirements apply to secondary legislation that—
(a)
is not published by the PCO; and
(b)
is made under an empowering provision that—
(i)
is enacted on or after 28 October 2021; or
(ii)
is listed in Schedule 2.
8 Publication requirements for secondary legislation
(1)
The publication requirements for secondary legislation are that—
(a)
it must be—
(i)
published on the maker’s website; and
(ii)
notified in the Gazette; and
(b)
if there are any customised requirements for it under Schedule 3, they must be met.
(2)
The publication requirements must be met as soon as practicable after the secondary legislation is made.
(3)
However, if Schedule 3 provides that a customised requirement applies instead of a requirement that applies under subclause (1)(a)(i) or (ii), that subparagraph does not apply.
(4)
This regulation is also subject to regulation 9.
9 When publication is not required
(1)
The publication requirements in regulation 8 do not apply to secondary legislation that is made under an empowering provision listed in Part 1 of Schedule 4.
(2)
The publication requirements in regulation 8 do not apply to secondary legislation that is made under an empowering provision listed in Part 2 of Schedule 4 if (or to the extent that) the grounds set out in that schedule for that provision are met.
Part 2 Other matters
10 Information required in PCO notification in Gazette
For the purposes of section 69(2) of the Legislation Act 2019, the information required to be published in the Gazette is the information listed in regulation 4(2).
11 Official versions of legislation
(1)
This regulation sets out the requirements for official versions of legislation for the purposes of section 78 of the Legislation Act 2019.
(2)
An official electronic version must be published on the legislation website (http://www.legislation.govt.nz).
(3)
An official printed version must be published by or on behalf of the PCO.
(4)
An official version must have a representation of the New Zealand Coat of Arms on its front page.
(5)
An official version may also contain a statement to the effect that it—
(a)
is issued under the authority of the New Zealand Government; or
(b)
is issued under the authority of the Legislation Act 2019, or was originally issued under the Legislation Act 2012 or a corresponding former Act.
(6)
There may be electronic and printed official versions of the same legislation.
12 Revocation
The Legislation (Official Versions) Regulations 2015 (LI 2015/267) are revoked immediately after section 11(2)(c) of the Legislation (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2019 comes into force.
Schedule 1 Transitional, savings, and related provisions
Part 1 Provisions relating to these regulations as made
There are no transitional, savings, or related provisions in these regulations as made.
Schedule 2 Provisions to which section 74(1)(aa) of Legislation Act 2019 applies
The provisions listed in this table are empowering provisions to which section 74(1)(aa) of the Legislation Act 2019 applies. (As a result, Part 1 of these regulations applies to secondary legislation made under those provisions.)
| Empowering legislation | Empowering provisions | |
|---|---|---|
| Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act 2002 | s 40 | |
| Legislation Act 2019 | ss 76, 107 |
Schedule 2: amended, on 21 November 2024, by regulation 4 of the Legislation (Publication) (Rules Relating to Chartered Professional Engineers) Amendment Regulations 2024 (SL 2024/217).
Schedule 3 Customised publication requirements
Part 1 Interpretation
1 Up-to-date versions of secondary legislation
(1)
A requirement in Part 2 of this schedule that up-to-date versions of secondary legislation be published on the maker’s website is met if, each time the secondary legislation is amended, an up-to-date version of it is published on the maker’s website as soon as practicable after it is amended.
(2)
An up-to-date version of secondary legislation that has been amended means a version of the secondary legislation that incorporates the amendments so that it shows the secondary legislation as amended.
(3)
An up-to-date version of secondary legislation must—
(a)
specify the date up to which it incorporates amendments; and
(b)
include, or be published with, a list of the amending legislation that has been incorporated.
(4)
An up-to-date version may also show the secondary legislation as it would be amended by amendments that have not yet come into force if it clearly indicates that those amendments have not yet come into force.
(5)
A requirement to publish up-to-date versions of secondary legislation is in addition to the requirement to publish the amending secondary legislation.
2 Available for inspection and purchase
(1)
A requirement in Part 2 of this schedule that secondary legislation or other information be made available for inspection is met if it is available for inspection at the specified place by any person during ordinary office hours and free of charge.
(2)
A requirement in Part 2 of this schedule that secondary legislation be made available for purchase is met if printed copies of it are available for purchase on request by any person for a reasonable charge.
(3)
If secondary legislation is required to be available for inspection or purchase or both, the notification in the Gazette under regulation 8(1)(a)(ii) must include details of where it is available.
3 Temporary application of requirement in Part 2
[Revoked]Schedule 3 clause 3: revoked, on 26 November 2024, by Schedule 3 clause 3.
Part 2 Customised publication requirements for secondary legislation
| Empowering legislation | Empowering provisions | Customised publication requirement | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Aviation Act 2023 | ss 52, 63, 64, 67, 70, 152, 154, 322(1)(b) | Publication not required if publication is inappropriate for reasons of security | |||
| s 430 (where transport instrument provided for by rule made under s 52, 63, or 70) | |||||
| Epidemic Preparedness Act 2006 | s 24A | If a modification made under this section is to be, or is, in force,— | |||
| (a) | all information necessary or desirable to enable a user to access, using the legislation website (https://www.legislation.govt.nz), that modification must be forwarded, without delay, to the PCO; and | ||||
| (b) | the PCO must indicate that fact in a suitable place on the legislation website. | ||||
Schedule 3 Part 2: amended, on 5 April 2025, by section 485 of the Civil Aviation Act 2023 (2023 No 10).
Schedule 3 Part 2: amended, on 26 November 2024, by Schedule 3 clause 3.
Schedule 3 Part 2: amended, on 3 November 2021, by Schedule 6 clause 12(1) of the COVID-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 42).
Schedule 3 Part 2: amended, on 3 November 2021, by Schedule 6 clause 12(2) of the COVID-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 42).
Schedule 4 When publication is not required
Part 1 Publication not required
The publication requirements in regulation 8 do not apply to secondary legislation made under an empowering provision listed in this table.
| Empowering legislation | Empowering provision(s) | |
|---|---|---|
There are no provisions listed in Part 1 in these regulations.
Schedule 4 Part 1: amended, on 23 December 2023, by section 6 of the Resource Management (Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Repeal and Interim Fast-track Consenting) Act 2023 (2023 No 68).
Part 2 Publication not required if grounds met
The publication requirements in regulation 8 do not apply to secondary legislation made under an empowering provision listed in this table if (or to the extent that) the qualifying grounds are met.
| Empowering legislation | Empowering provision(s) |
Qualifying criteria The minimum requirements do not apply if .... |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Products and Production Act 2023 | Section 143 (for the purposes of section 63) | The relevant chief executive considers that compliance with the requirements would result in 1 or more of the following: (a)disclosure of commercially sensitive information: (b)disclosure of a trade secret: (c)prejudice to New Zealand’s position in current or future negotiations for overseas market access: (d)prejudice to the international relations of New Zealand. |
Schedule 4 Part 2 table: replaced, on 6 April 2023, by section 164(2) of the Organic Products and Production Act 2023 (2023 No 14).
Michael Webster,
Clerk of the Executive Council.
Date of notification in Gazette: 16 September 2021.
Notes
1 General
This is a consolidation of the Legislation (Publication) Regulations 2021 that incorporates the amendments made to the legislation so that it shows the law as at its stated date.
2 Legal status
A consolidation is taken to correctly state, as at its stated date, the law enacted or made by the legislation consolidated and by the amendments. This presumption applies unless the contrary is shown.
Section 78 of the Legislation Act 2019 provides that this consolidation, published as an electronic version, is an official version. A printed version of legislation that is produced directly from this official electronic version is also an official version.
3 Editorial and format changes
The Parliamentary Counsel Office makes editorial and format changes to consolidations using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019. See also PCO editorial conventions for consolidations.
4 Amendments incorporated in this consolidation
Legislation (Publication) (Rules Relating to Chartered Professional Engineers) Amendment Regulations 2024 (SL 2024/217)
Resource Management (Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Repeal and Interim Fast-track Consenting) Act 2023 (2023 No 68): section 6
Organic Products and Production Act 2023 (2023 No 14): section 164
Civil Aviation Act 2023 (2023 No 10): section 485
COVID-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 42): Schedule 6 clause 12
Legislation (Publication) Regulations 2021 (LI 2021/246): Schedule 3 clause 3