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Local Government Act 2002

Offences, penalties, infringement offences, and legal proceedings - Offences - Offence relating to obstruction of enforcement officers and others

229: Obstruction of enforcement officers or agents of local authority

You could also call this:

“Don't stop people from doing their job when they're enforcing local government rules”

If you intentionally stop someone from doing their job or make it hard for them to do their job, you might be breaking the law. This applies to people who are working to enforce the Local Government Act 2002.

You could get in trouble if you:

  • Stop an enforcement officer or someone else authorised to carry out this law from doing their job.
  • Get in the way of someone who is trying to do their job under this law.
  • Stop someone from entering a place when they have the right to do so under this law.
  • Refuse to give information to an enforcement officer when they ask for it under section 178, or if you give them wrong information on purpose.
  • Encourage other people to do any of these things.

If you do any of these things, you might have to pay a fine. The amount you might have to pay is listed in section 242(2) of this law.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM174021.

Topics:
Government and voting > Local councils
Crime and justice > Criminal law
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Part 9 Offences, penalties, infringement offences, and legal proceedings
Offences: Offence relating to obstruction of enforcement officers and others

229Obstruction of enforcement officers or agents of local authority

  1. Every person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to the penalty specified in section 242(2) who intentionally—

  2. prevents the following persons from carrying out their statutory functions or duties:
    1. an enforcement officer; or
        1. a person authorised or employed to carry out the provisions of this Act; or
        2. obstructs or impedes a person—
          1. from carrying out the provisions of this Act; or
            1. from exercising or attempting to exercise a power of entry conferred by this Act; or
            2. refuses to give information when directed to do so by an enforcement officer under section 178, or knowingly misstates information; or
              1. incites any other person to do any act referred to in paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) or paragraph (c).

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                Notes
                • Section 229: amended, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).
                • Section 229(a)(ii): repealed, on , by section 197 of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 (2017 No 17).
                • Section 229(a)(iii): amended, on , by section 36 of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2010 (2010 No 124).