Medicines Act 1981

Miscellaneous provisions

103: Service of documents

You could also call this:

"How to give people important papers"

You can serve documents to people in several ways. You can deliver it to them, leave it at their home or work, or post it to them. When you post it, it is considered served when it would normally arrive. If the person is not in New Zealand, you can serve the document to their agent in New Zealand. You can serve it to them in the same ways as before. If the person has passed away, you can serve the document to their personal representative. If you do not know who the person is or where they live, a District Court Judge can tell you how to serve the document. The Judge can also make special orders about serving documents in any case. This means they can decide how a document should be served or if it needs to be served at all.

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This page was last updated on 27 October 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM56562.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Courts and legal help

102: Protection of persons acting under authority of Act, or

"You're protected if you follow the law and try to do the right thing."

104: Amendment of Schedule 1, or

"The Governor-General can add or remove diseases from a list called Schedule 1."

Part 8Miscellaneous provisions

103Service of documents

Any document required or authorised under this Act, or under any regulations made under this Act, to be served on or given to any person may be served or given by delivering it to that person, or by leaving it at his usual or last known place of residence or business, or by posting it by registered letter addressed to him at his usual or last known place of residence or business.
Every such notice posted in accordance with subsection (1) shall be deemed, in the absence of proof to the contrary, to have been served or given at the time when the registered letter would be delivered in the ordinary course of post.
If the person is absent from New Zealand, the document may be served or given, in any manner referred to in subsection (1), on or to his agent in New Zealand.
If the person is deceased, the document may be served or given, in any manner referred to in subsection (1), on or to his personal representative.
If the person, or his place of residence or business, is not known, or if he is absent from New Zealand and has no known agent in New Zealand, or is deceased and has no personal representative, the document may be served or given in such manner as may be directed by a District Court Judge.
Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this section, a District Court Judge may in any case make an order directing the manner in which any document is to be served or given or dispensing with the service or giving of any such document.

Compare

1979 No 27 s 81