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Social Workers Registration Act 2003

Miscellaneous, transitional, and consequential provisions - Miscellaneous provisions

145: Notice and service of documents

You could also call this:

"How to give someone official papers or notices in writing"

Illustration for Social Workers Registration Act 2003

When a law requires you to give someone a notice or document, you must do it in writing. You can give it to the person by delivering it to them personally, or by sending it to them by pre-paid post to their home or business address. You can also send it to the person's electronic address if they have given it to you. If the person is not available, you can give the notice to their agent in New Zealand, and it will be treated as if you gave it to the person.

If the person has died, you can give the notice to their personal representative. When you send a notice by post, it is treated as given to the person when it would have been delivered in the ordinary course of the post. To prove the notice was delivered, you just need to show that the letter was properly addressed and posted.

You can also give a notice in any other way that a District Court Judge directs.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM190650.

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Part 8Miscellaneous, transitional, and consequential provisions
Miscellaneous provisions

145Notice and service of documents

  1. Unless this Act provides otherwise, if a provision of this Act or of any regulations made under it requires or authorises any notice or other document, or any notification, to be given to a person, the notice, document, or notification must be given in writing to the person—

  2. by delivering it personally to the person; or
    1. by sending it by pre-paid post addressed to the person at the person's usual or last known place of residence or business; or
      1. by sending it to the electronic address provided by the person; or
        1. in any other manner a District Court Judge directs.

          1. In the absence of proof to the contrary, a notice, document, or notification sent by post to a person in accordance with subsection (1)(b) must be treated as having been given to the person when it would have been delivered in the ordinary course of the post; and in proving the delivery, it is enough to prove the letter was properly addressed and posted.

          2. If a person is absent from New Zealand, a notice, document, or notification given to the person's agent in New Zealand in accordance with subsection (1) must be treated as having been given to the person.

          3. If a person has died, the notice, document, or notification may be given, in accordance with subsection (1), to the person’s personal representative.

          Notes
          • Section 145(1)(ba): inserted, on , by section 137 of the Social Workers Registration Legislation Act 2019 (2019 No 3).
          • Section 145(3): amended, on , by section 23 of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 17).
          • Section 145(4): amended, on , by section 23 of the Social Workers Registration Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 17).