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Oaths and Declarations Act 1957

Oaths, affirmations, and declarations in general - Oaths and affirmations

5: Oath not affected by absence of religious belief

You could also call this:

"An oath is still valid even if you don't have religious beliefs."

Illustration for Oaths and Declarations Act 1957

If you take an oath, it is still valid even if you do not have any religious beliefs. You can take an oath without having a religious belief and it will still count. The law says that not having a religious belief does not affect the oath.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM314577.

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4A: Oaths and affirmations in Māori, or

"Taking oaths in te reo Māori is allowed if it follows the rules."

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6: Unlawful administration of oaths, or

"It's against the law to give an oath when you're not supposed to"

Part 1Oaths, affirmations, and declarations in general
Oaths and affirmations

5Oath not affected by absence of religious belief

  1. Where an oath has been duly administered and taken, the fact that the person to whom the same was administered had at the time of taking the oath no religious belief shall not for any purpose affect the validity of the oath.

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