Land Transport Act 1998

Driving offences involving drink or drugs, and penalties and procedures - Evidential provisions

76: Presumptions relating to blood specimens

You could also call this:

“Rules about blood samples in court cases”

When you’re involved in a legal case about breaking this law, there are some things the court will assume are true unless someone can prove they’re not:

If a certificate mentions someone with the same name, address, and job as you, the court will think the blood sample mentioned in the certificate came from you.

The court will believe that any approved analyst who signed a certificate was allowed to sign it.

If a health practitioner or medical officer got a sealed container with your blood sample in it, the court will think the container had a special substance in it to keep the blood fresh and stop it from clotting.

If you, your lawyer, or someone speaking for you in court asks for copies of these certificates about your blood sample, the person bringing the case against you (called the prosecutor) must give them to you.

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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=DLM434848.


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Part 6 Driving offences involving drink or drugs, and penalties and procedures
Evidential provisions

76Presumptions relating to blood specimens

  1. In proceedings for an offence against this Act it is to be presumed, in the absence of proof to the contrary, that,—

  2. if a certificate referred to in section 75 names a person having the same name, address, and occupation as the defendant as the person from whom the specimen of blood was taken, the specimen was taken from the defendant:
    1. every approved analyst who signed a certificate referred to in section 75(5) was duly authorised to sign it:
      1. if the container in which a blood specimen (or part of a blood specimen) was placed was received by a health practitioner or medical officer in a sealed blood specimen collecting kit, the container contained a substance (whether or not a combination or mixture of 2 or more substances) and that substance was a preservative and anti-coagulant.
        1. On the request of a person from whom a blood specimen has been taken under section 72 or section 73, or of the person's solicitor or counsel, copies of any certificates referred to in subsection (1) that relate to that blood specimen must be supplied by the prosecutor to the person making the request.

        Compare
        Notes
        • Section 76(1)(c): amended, on , by section 15 of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 77).
        • Section 76(1)(c): amended, on , by section 37 of the Land Transport (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 13).
        • Section 76(1)(c): amended, on , by section 175(1) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (2003 No 48).