Terms of use

This website publishes New Zealand legislation

This website provides legislation published by the PCO under section 69 of the Legislation Act 2019. It includes official electronic versions of legislation published by the PCO in accordance with section 78 of that Act.

Official legislation published by the PCO displays the New Zealand Coat of Arms. Website versions of Acts and PCO-published secondary legislation that do not display the New Zealand Coat of Arms above their title, and PDFs without the New Zealand Coat of Arms, are not official.

A printout of official legislation is official. “Traditional” printed legislation published under the authority of the New Zealand Government (which may say it was issued under the authority of the Legislation Act 2019 or corresponding former Act) is also official.

Website aids are not part of legislation and have no legal effect

Legislation provided on this site includes publication notes and other information inserted by the PCO in carrying out its functions of publishing and consolidating legislation. They do not form part of the text of the relevant version of the legislation (even if published in that version). This includes publication notes, legislative history, links between and within legislation, and accessibility aids such as alt text and table summaries.

Website aids do not form part of the legislation and are changed from time to time.

The PCO is not responsible for agency-published secondary legislation

This website includes and links to agency-published secondary legislation which is collected from the agencies that administer that legislation. The PCO is not liable for the content, accuracy, or validity of agency-published legislation or any error or omission in or arising from this material, or in connection with an administering agency’s acts or omissions. Neither is the collection of New Zealand secondary legislation complete. For advice about agency-published secondary legislation, please contact the agency responsible for administering it.

Website content that is not legislation is subject to change

This site includes content that is not legislation. We strive to ensure that this content is accurate. However, it is only general information for visitors to the site. The PCO does not accept any liability for the accuracy or content of this content. The content must not be construed as legal advice. Visitors should take specific advice from qualified professionals before undertaking any action as a result of the content.

The Parliamentary Counsel Office does not accept any liability for the accuracy or content of any third-party website that you may access via a hyperlink from this site. Links to other websites should not be taken as endorsement or recommendation of those sites or products offered on those sites. This includes websites that may host our content (eg video files on YouTube). We don't endorse advertising, related material, or other content you may view on such sites while accessing our content. When visiting other websites, please refer to the terms and conditions of use, privacy, and copyright policies of those websites.

Security and damage

All network and application activity associated with this website is logged.

You are responsible for your activity on this website. Should any activity be recorded that indicates an attempt to breach security or cause damage, or other misuse of this website, you may be liable for prosecution under sections 248 – 252 of the Crimes Act 1961, or other applicable legislation.

The PCO retains the right to deny, block, or otherwise remove access and services, if any activity is detected that shows an attempt to breach security or otherwise cause damage to the website, data, or other linked resources.

You are responsible for ensuring that your own computer is secure, including taking all reasonable steps to:

• prevent someone from misusing or getting unauthorised access to your computer system or to this website or our online services

• ensure your computer system and data are free of computer viruses and all other forms of corruption.