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296: No review of decisions unless right of appeal or reference to inquiry exercised
or “You can't ask a judge to look at a decision again unless you've already tried to appeal it or had it checked by the Environment Court.”
You could also call this:

“The Environment Court must write down its decisions and sign them to make them official.”

When the Environment Court makes a decision, it needs to be in writing. This applies to all decisions, determinations, and orders. The only exception is when the court announces its decision out loud during a court session.

The court also writes reports, recommendations, and determinations after conducting inquiries. All of these written documents must be signed by the member of the court who led the hearing or inquiry. If more than one member was involved, a majority of them need to sign it.

To make the document official, it needs to have the court’s seal on it. This is like a special stamp that shows the document is really from the Environment Court.

Remember, these rules help make sure that the court’s decisions are clear and properly recorded for everyone to see.

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Next up: 298: Documents judicially noticed

or “The court's seal makes documents official and believable in court”
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Part 11 Environment Court
Decisions of Environment Court

297Decisions of court to be in writing

  1. Every decision, determination, or order of the Environment Court, unless it is pronounced orally at a sitting of the court, and every report, recommendation, or determination made by the court on an inquiry, shall be in writing signed by the member who presided at the hearing or inquiry or by a majority of the members who sat on the hearing or inquiry and shall be authenticated with the seal of the court.

Notes
  • Section 297 heading: amended, on , pursuant to section 6(2)(a) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 160).
  • Section 297: amended, on , pursuant to section 6(2)(a) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1996 (1996 No 160).