National Parks Act 1980

Control of dogs

56K: Evidence in proceedings

You could also call this:

"Rules for using official documents as proof in national park cases"

In legal matters about dog control in national parks, certain documents can be used as proof. If someone is accused of breaking the rules, a certificate signed by the Director-General or an authorised officer can be used to show that the person didn't have a dog control permit on a specific date. This certificate is considered good evidence unless someone can prove it's wrong.

If a copy of a licence or document from this law is certified as correct by the Director-General or an authorised officer, it can be used as evidence in court. You don't need to prove it's real unless someone can show it's not.

When these certificates or document copies are presented in court, they are accepted as evidence without needing to prove who signed them. This makes it easier to use them in court cases.

If there's a question about whether an offence happened in a national park, a certificate from the Director-General saying the land was part of a national park is enough to prove it. You don't need any other evidence to show it was in a national park.

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This page was last updated on 13 May 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM38270.

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationCrime and justice > Courts and legal help

56J: Power of ranger to request information, or

"Rangers can ask for your details if you have a dog in a national park"

56L: Strict liability, or

"You can be found guilty of breaking dog rules in national parks even if you didn't mean to"

Part 5AControl of dogs

56KEvidence in proceedings

Subject to subsections (3) and (4), in any proceedings in respect of an offence against any provision of this Part, a certificate purporting to be signed by the Director-General or any officer authorised by the Director-General for that purpose to the effect that, on a date specified in the certificate, the defendant or other named person was not the holder of a dog control permit shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be sufficient evidence of the matter stated in the certificate.
A copy of any licence or document granted or issued under this Act which is certified correct by the Director-General, or any officer of the Department duly authorised by the Director-General in that behalf, shall, in any proceedings for an offence against this Part, be sufficient, in the absence of proof of the contrary, to prove that licence or other document.
The production of any certificate or copy of any document for the purpose of this section purporting to be signed by any person authorised under this section to sign it shall, in any proceedings for an offence against this Part, be prima facie evidence of the certificate or copy without proof of the signature of the person appearing to have signed it.
The production of any certificate or copy of any document signed by the Director-General and certifying that the land upon which any offence is alleged to have taken place was included within a national park shall, in any proceedings for an offence against this Part, be sufficient evidence that the land was within a national park.

Notes

Section 56K: inserted, on 2 May 1996, by section 3 of the National Parks Amendment Act (No 2) 1996 (1996 No 15).