Easier access to deemed regulations

Deemed regulations can now be accessed through links on the New Zealand Legislation website, following recent changes.

Parliament sometimes delegates its law-making power to other persons or bodies by authorising the making of delegated legislation (usually known as “regulations”). Regulations made by the Executive Council on the recommendation of Cabinet are drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel Office, published in the Statutory Regulations series, and available in full on the New Zealand Legislation website. Deemed regulations are made primarily by Ministers, officials, or organisations, and are not drafted by Parliamentary Counsel. Examples include most land transport and civil aviation rules, codes issued by the Privacy Commissioner, and financial auditing standards.

As deemed regulations are made by a variety of agencies, it has previously been difficult to access them all from one place. The development on the New Zealand Legislation website brings them all together, providing access through searching and browsing, by title and by year.

Other changes on the New Zealand Legislation website include:

• Quick search is available on every page
• Quick search provides suggestions as you type, plus you can access your recent searches
• Advanced search is more intuitive
• Search and browse results are more flexible and easier to understand
• You can swap between views of legislation more easily
• information about amendment history is more accessible, under the Versions and amendments tab
• The homepage provides quick ways in to popular legislation and other resources
• If you get lost, there is plenty of help, with pop-up explanations and "how to" information.