Disputes Tribunal Act 1988

Jurisdiction, functions, and orders of Tribunal

15: Cause of action not to be divided

You could also call this:

"You can't split a dispute into parts to take to the Tribunal, it must be heard all at once."

Illustration for Disputes Tribunal Act 1988

You cannot split a cause of action into two or more claims to bring it to the Tribunal. The Tribunal is where you go to solve disputes, and this rule applies when you want to take someone to the Tribunal. You have to bring the whole cause of action at once, not parts of it separately.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM133653.

This page was last updated on 28 January 2026 — View changes

14: Abandonment to bring claim within jurisdiction, or

"Abandoning part of a claim to bring it to the Tribunal"

16: Contracting out prohibited, or

"You can't agree to stop the Tribunal from hearing your dispute."

Part 2Jurisdiction, functions, and orders of Tribunal

15Cause of action not to be divided

A cause of action shall not be divided into 2 or more claims for the purpose of bringing it within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal.

Compare

1976 No 35 s 12

Notes

Section 15: amended, on 1 March 2017, by section 261 of the District Court Act 2016 (2016 No 49).