Legal System of New Zealand

New Zealand is located in Australia Oceania. It is geographically situated in oceania, islands in the south pacific ocean, southeast of australia. The country achieved independence on 26 september 1907 (from the uk). The capital is Wellington.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General Dame Cindy KIRO (since 21 October 2021) Head of Government: Prime Minister Christopher LUXON (since 27 November 2023) Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast National Holiday: Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840); Anzac Day, 25 April (1915) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of New Zealand is described as common law system, based on English model, with special legislation and land courts for the Maori International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: New Zealand has no single constitution document; the Constitution Act 1986, effective 1 January 1987, includes only part of the uncodified constitution; others include a collection of statutes or “acts of Parliament,” the Treaty of Waitangi, Orders in Council, letters patent, court decisions, and unwritten conventions Amendment Process: proposed as bill by Parliament or by referendum called either by the government or by citizens; passage of a bill as an act normally requires two separate readings with committee reviews in between to make changes and corrections, a third reading approved by the House of Representatives membership or by the majority of votes in a referendum, and assent of the governor-general; passage of amendments to reserved constitutional provisions affecting the term of Parliament, electoral districts, and voting restrictions requires approval by 75% of the House membership or the majority of votes in a referendum

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 5 justices, including the chief justice) Judge Selection: justices appointed by the governor-general upon the recommendation of the attorney- general; justices appointed until compulsory retirement at age 70 Subordinate Courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; tribunals and authorities; district courts; specialized courts for issues related to employment, environment, family, Maori lands, youth, military; tribunals

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of New Zealand Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Polynesians settled New Zealand between the late 1200s and the mid-1300s. They called the land Aotearoa, which legend holds is the name of the canoe that Kupe, the first Polynesian in New Zealand, used to sail to the country; the name Aotearoa is now in widespread use as the local Maori name for the country. By the 1500s, competition for land and resources led to intermittent fighting between different Maori tribes as large game became extinct.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of New Zealand based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.