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Inquiries Act 2013

Preliminary provisions

4: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What special words mean in the Inquiries Act 2013"

Illustration for Inquiries Act 2013

When you read the Inquiries Act 2013, you need to know what some words mean. The Act explains what these words are. You can find more information about some of these words in other sections of the Act, like section 6(3) or section 17. The Act says what "appointing Minister" and "appropriate Minister" mean. It also explains what "core participant", "document", and "establishment instrument" are. You can find the meaning of "document" in section 4(1) of the Evidence Act 2006. The Act defines other words like "expert opinion", "government inquiry", and "information". It also explains what "inquiry", "member", "officer of an inquiry", and "public inquiry" mean. You can find more information about these words in other sections of the Act, like section 6. The Act says what "relevant department" means, and it gives examples. It is either the Department of Internal Affairs or another department that is responsible for the inquiry. You can find more information about the different types of inquiries in the Act, like public inquiries and government inquiries.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM1566113.

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Topics:
Government and voting > Government departmentsCrime and justice > Courts and legal help
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3: Purpose, or

"What the Inquiries Act 2013 is for: helping set up and run fair inquiries into important issues."

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5: Act binds the Crown, or

"The government must follow this law's rules, just like everyone else."

Part 1Preliminary provisions

4Interpretation

  1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    appointing Minister means 1 or more Ministers of the Crown who establish a government inquiry under section 6(3)

      appropriate Minister means the Minister of the Crown who, under the authority of any warrant or with the authority of the Prime Minister, is responsible for the relevant department

        core participant has the meaning it is given in section 17

          document has the same meaning that it is given in section 4(1) of the Evidence Act 2006

            establishment instrument means—

            1. an Order in Council made under section 6(2); or
              1. a Gazette notice issued under section 6(3)

                expert opinion means the opinion of an expert based on the specialised knowledge or skill of that expert

                  government inquiry means an inquiry established under section 6(3)

                    information, in relation to the power of an inquiry to obtain or disclose information, includes matters of expert opinion as well as of fact

                      inquiry means both a public inquiry and a government inquiry, as provided for by section 6

                        member means a member of an inquiry established under section 6

                          officer of an inquiry means a person who is engaged to work for an inquiry

                            public inquiry—

                            1. means an inquiry established under section 6(2); and
                              1. includes a Royal commission

                                relevant department means—

                                1. the Department of Internal Affairs; or
                                  1. another department of State, if the other department is appointed, under the terms of reference for the inquiry, to be responsible for administrative matters relating to the inquiry.