New Zealand law explained for everyone
You cannot be held responsible in criminal proceedings for something you did or didn’t do if it wasn’t against the law at the time you did it. This means that if you do something today that isn’t illegal, but it becomes illegal tomorrow, you can’t be punished for what you did today. This rule applies even if other laws or rules might say otherwise. The law doesn’t work backwards in time when it comes to criminal matters.
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or “This section used to set a time limit for taking legal action, but it's no longer in use.”Notwithstanding any other enactment or rule of law to the contrary, no person shall be liable in any criminal proceedings in respect of an act or omission by him or her if, at the time of the act or omission, the act or omission by him or her did not constitute an offence.