More than 150 outdated and obsolete laws are likely to be repealed as part of the Government\u2019s statutory spring clean, Attorney-General Chris Bishop says.<\/p>\n
The legislative cleanup is being run in stages led by the Parliamentary Counsel Office, alongside the Department of Internal Affairs for local Acts. To date, 152 outdated Acts have been identified for repeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of being a responsible Government focused on fixing the basics is making sure New Zealand\u2019s laws are fit for purpose,\u201d Mr Bishop says.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand\u2019s statute book is full of fascinating relics from another era.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome are historically important. Some are genuinely bizarre. And quite a few are technically still in force despite almost nobody realising they still exist.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got layer upon layer of legislation dating back more than 150 years \u2013 a legal lasagne, if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoughly half of all Acts still technically in force were passed between 1840 and the 1960s, and many are now obsolete. That creates confusion, unnecessary complexity, and occasionally some very odd situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne example is the Wellington Milk-Supply Act 1919, which established a council-controlled licensing regime for milk vendors in the capital, and makes it illegal to sell skim milk within the city boundaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike the milk it regulates, this law has aged badly,\u201d Mr Bishop says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe law is so old and obscure that Wellington City Council was almost dragged into court in 2021 after a lawyer, Tyrone Barugh, asked it to issue a milk licence under the Act. The Council and Mr Barugh avoided the matter going to court on the basis that they would work together to encourage the Government to repeal the Act for legal certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other laws proposed for repeal include the Dunedin City Fish-markets and Empowering Act 1918, which allowed the Dunedin City Council to engage in the fish trade and also buy and sell sheep.<\/p>\n
\u201cDunedin City Council no longer operates a fish market or trades livestock as far as I\u2019m aware, so we can probably put this one out to pasture.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepealing legislation doesn\u2019t erase history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese Acts remain permanently accessible on the New Zealand Legislation website as part of New Zealand\u2019s legal and historical record.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of them tell important stories about New Zealand\u2019s past.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn example is the Kaitangata Relief Fund Transfer Act 1892, which followed one of New Zealand\u2019s earliest industrial disasters in 1879 when an explosion at the Kaitangata mine killed 34 miners. Public donations raised money for the widows and children of those killed, with the remaining surplus later transferred into a mining accident fund through the Act.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other Acts capture the history of long-standing New Zealand organisations and institutions.<\/p>\n
The Caledonian Society Of Otago Incorporation Ordinance 1874 incorporated what became New Zealand\u2019s oldest Scottish society, famous for organising Highland Games in Dunedin for more than 150 years before winding up in 2021.<\/p>\n
The Joint Council of the Order of St John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society Incorporation Act 1938 formalised cooperation between the two organisations during an earlier era of New Zealand public service and emergency response.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point of this project isn\u2019t to wipe away history,\u201d Mr Bishop says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about making New Zealand law easier to navigate and easier to understand, while preserving these stories for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Note to editors:<\/p>\n
Each Act identified for repeal is carefully reviewed and consulted on with relevant organisations, agencies, councils, and stakeholders. Public consultation on the 152 Acts identified for repeal is open now, and closes on 31 July 2026. Consultation on another round of Acts is planned for later in 2026.<\/p>\n
Following consultation, public submissions will be reviewed to confirm the Acts are suitable for repeal. The Parliamentary Counsel Office will then draft a Bill to repeal the Acts. The Bill will be introduced to Parliament and go through the full parliamentary process including select committee scrutiny. This will provide the public another opportunity to make submissions.<\/p>\n
More information, including how to make a submission, is available on the Legislation Repeals Project page.<\/p>\n
List of Acts identified for repeal<\/p>\n
Local Acts<\/p>\n
Mairetahi Loan Conversion Act 1898
\nWhangarei Drill-shed Act 1892
\nThames Deep Levels Enabling Act 1906
\nTauranga East Coast and Hot Lakes District Railway Company (Limited) Empowering Act 1882
\nTauranga County Empowering (Community Centres) Act 1965
\nPort Ahuriri-Westshore Road And Railway Act 1914
\nNorsewood Mechanics Institute Site Act 1878
\nInglewood Technical-School Site Act 1909
\nStratford County Act 1890
\nStratford County Districts Adjustment Act 1891
\nNew Plymouth Borough Council Empowering Act 1929
\nWaimate Agricultural Reserve Dairy School Act 1906
\nMakerua Drainage Board Loan Empowering Act 1927
\nHamerton Pension Act 1891
\nMasterton Borough Council Staff Retiring Fund Act 1962
\nMasterton Public Park Management Act 1901
\nMasterton Trust Lands Act 1889
\nCanterbury Society of Arts Reserve Act 1889 Extension Act 1891
\nChristchurch City Empowering and Special Rates Consolidation Act 1941
\nChristchurch City Empowering Act (No 2) 1946
\nChristchurch City Reclamation and Empowering Act 1964
\nLincoln Road Board Empowering Act 1908
\nRawhiti Domain Act 1925
\nSumner Borough Land Vesting Act 1929
\nPapanui Memorial Hall Enabling Act 1939
\nBalclutha Housing Act 1945
\nBalclutha Borough (Forestry) Empowering Act 1954
\nOamaru Market Reserve Act 1878
\nOamaru Municipal Exchange and Market Reserve Leasing Act 1911
\nBruce County Empowering (Community Centres) Act 1970
\nWhangarei Borough Leasing Empowering Act 1922
\nCostley Training Institution Act 1885
\nAuckland Savings-Bank Educational Special Donation Act 1906
\nPaeroa Water-supply Transfer Validation Act 1922
\nRangitaiki Drainage Board (Surplus Land Development and Sale) Empowering Act 1976
\nNapier Harbour Board and Napier Borough Enabling Act 1926
\nHawera Technical School Site Exchange Act 1908
\nPalmerston North Library Empowering Act 1927 Wellington City Sanitation Loan Empowering Act 1892
\nWellington City Sanitation Loan Empowering Act 1892
\nWellington City Streets Act 1899
\nWellington City Streets Act 1905
\nWellington and Karori Sanitation and Water-supply Act 1912
\nWellington City Betterment Act 1900
\nWellington City Milk-supply Act 1919
\nWellington City and Suburban Districts Ambulance Transport Service Act 1927
\nWellington Free Ambulance Act 1941
\nHutt Valley and Bays Metropolitan Milk Board Validation Act 1952
\nPetone Borough Empowering Act 1905
\nWellington City Empowering Act 1889
\nWellington City Empowering Act 1897
\nWellington City Empowering Act 1925
\nWellington City Empowering Act 1926
\nWellington City Empowering Act 1928
\nNelson Waterworks Extension Act 1935
\nNelson City Empowering Act 1938
\nTimaru Mechanics’ Institute Act 1877
\nTimaru Harbour Board Loan and Empowering Act 1966
\nAshburton Water-Supply (Lagmhor Creek) Act 1928
\nDunedin Technical School Site Act 1911
\nCromwell Athenaeum Reserves Act 1877
\nOhai Railway Board Act 1932
\nRiverton Borough Empowering Act 1947
\nHastings Borough Loan Empowering Act 1910
\nHawke’s Bay County, Hastings Borough, and Havelock North Town Board Empowering Act 1929
\nMount Cook Reserve Sale Act 1878
\nWellington Boys’ Institute Act 1891
\nWellington Boys’ Institute Act 1897
\nMasterton Public Park Extension Act 1905
\nMotueka Borough Council Library Act 1928
\nWaimate Public Library Act 1889
\nCity of Dunedin Leasing Act 1886
\nCity of Dunedin Leasing Powers Act 1884
\nDunedin City (Suburban Water Charges) Empowering Act 1937
\nDunedin City Fish-markets And Empowering Act 1918
\nDunedin Garrison Hall Trustees Empowering Act 1893
\nDunedin Southern Market Reserve Leasing Act 1882
\nKaitangata Relief Fund Transfer Act 1892
\nMilton Athenaeum Endowment Act 1878
\nOtago Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools Board Empowering Act 1906
\nPort Chalmers Fire-Brigade Site Act 1886
\nTapanui Hospital Reserve Vesting Act 1907
\nWaiwera School Glebe Sale Act 1877
\nInvercargill Cemetery Vesting Act 1905
\nInvercargill Waterworks Reserve Act 1887<\/p>\n
Public Acts<\/p>\n
Auckland Public Buildings Act 1876
\nBorough of Thames Tramways Act 1874
\nBorough of Wanganui Borrowing Act 1872
\nCity of Dunedin Gasworks Act 1874
\nNapier Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute Incorporation Act 1876
\nWellington City Reserves Act 1871
\nCampbelltown Athenaeum Act 1875
\nAdmiralty House Act Repeal Act 1903
\nAnnual Reporting and Audit Time Frames Extensions Legislation Act 2021
\nMethodist Church of Australasia in New Zealand Act 1902
\nPoverty Bay Land and Deeds Registration Districts Act 1896
\nPublic Reserves Sale Act 1879
\nQueenstown Reserves Act 1905
\nWellington and Manawatu Railway Purchase Act 1908
\nWellington Corporate Land Act 1876<\/p>\n
Private Acts<\/p>\n
Otago and Southland Investment Company (Limited) Act 1864
\nDuck’s Nest Dam Act 1865
\nLincoln Road Mill Dam Act 1865
\nWellington and Manawatu Railway Company\u2019s Additional Capital and Debentures Validation Act 1886
\nStratford Electric Lighting Act 1898
\nMarine and Power Engineers’ Institute Incorporation Act 1925
\nLondon and New Zealand Bank, Limited Act 1928
\nDominion Life Assurance Office of New Zealand, Limited, Act 1931
\nUnited Wheatgrowers Act 1936
\nMolyneux Gold Dredging Company (Claims Amalgamation) Act 1936
\nAutomobile Association (Central) Act 1980
\nDannevirke and District Soldiers’ Institute Dissolution Act 1983
\nWilliam Robinson Estate Trusts Act 1893
\nCharles Joseph Jury Estate Empowering Act 1919
\nJohn Duncan McGruer Estate Act 1945
\nWellington City Council (Te Aro Reclamation) Act 1879
\nWellington Waterworks Act 1871
\nTaumarunui District Services’ Memorial Fund Act 1962
\nWhakatane Paper Mills, Limited, Water-supply Empowering Act 1936
\nWhakatane Board Mills Limited Water Supply Act 1961
\nNelson Diocesan Trust Board Empowering Act 1937
\nJoint Council of the Order of St John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society Incorporation Act 1938
\nGeorgetti Trust Estate Act 1915
\nHomewood Trust Act 1942
\nAshburton County Council Empowering Act 1882
\nAuckland Hospital Board Trusts Empowering Act 1953
\nBryant House Trust Board Enabling Act 1948
\nMary Bryant Trust Board Enabling Act 1955
\nBryant House Trust Board Enabling Act 1960
\nBryant Nursery Trust Board Enabling Act 1968
\nMary Bryant Trust Board Enabling Act 1975
\nCanterbury Jewish Cemetery Empowering Act 1943
\nCawthron Institute Trust Board Empowering Act 1949
\nOtago Southland Flood Relief Committee Empowering Act 1980
\nSaint Mary’s Guild Trust Act 1956
\nWills’s Road Hall Act 1935<\/p>\n
Provincial Acts<\/p>\n
Nelson Waterworks Act 1863
\nCromwell Athenaeum Ordinance 1873
\nCaledonian Society Of Otago Incorporation Ordinance 1874
\nInvercargill Athenaeum Reserve Management Ordinance 1871
\nInvercargill Athenaeum Reserve Management Ordinance Amendment Ordinance 1872 (O)
\nInvercargill Athenaeum Reserves Management Ordinance 1873 (O)
\nInvercargill Athenaeum Reserve Management Ordinance 1875 (O)
\nArrowtown Athenaeum Ordinance 1875 (O)
\nEducation Reserves Ordinance 1864 (O)
\nEducation Reserves Ordinance 1865 (O)
\nPicton Institute Act 1864 (M)
\nPublic Buildings Act 1875 (A)
\nReserve No 168 Ordinance 1875 (C)
\nReserve No 424 Ordinance 1873 (C)
\nRiverton Athenaeum Ordinance 1873 (O)
\nRiverton Athenaeum Reserves Management Ordinance 1875 (O)
\nRoslyn Institute Ordinance 1874 (O)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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