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Children’s Act 2014

Child protection policies

15: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What special words mean in the Children's Act 2014"

Illustration for Children’s Act 2014

When you read the Children's Act 2014, you need to know what some words mean. A board is a group of people who make decisions together for an organisation like Health New Zealand. A child is someone who is under 18 years old.

You also need to know what children's services are. These are services that help one or more children, or services that help adults who are looking after children. Some services help adults who live with children, and these services can affect how well the children are doing. The government can decide which services are important for children's well-being.

Health New Zealand is an organisation that is defined in the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. An independent person is someone who does not work for a particular organisation or government department, and is not on the board of that organisation.

There are some government departments and organisations that are called prescribed State services. These include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, and the New Zealand Police. The government can also decide which other organisations are prescribed State services.

A school board is a group of people who make decisions for a school. This can include the board of a state school, or the manager of a private school. The government can make rules about which services are important for children, and which organisations are prescribed State services. These rules are called secondary legislation, which is explained in Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5501651.

Topics:
Family and relationships > Children and parentingGovernment and voting > Government departmentsEducation and learning > School education
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14: Purpose of this Part, or

"Keeping kids safe: making sure groups have plans to prevent child abuse and neglect"

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16: Prescribed State services to adopt, report on, and require child protection policies, or

"State services that work with kids must have a child protection policy and follow the rules."

Part 2Child protection policies

15Interpretation

  1. In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    board, in relation to Health New Zealand, means the members of the board of that organisation (who number no less than the required quorum) acting together as a board

      child means a person who is under the age of 18 years

        children's services means services that are any of the following:

        1. services provided to 1 or more children:
          1. services to adults in respect of 1 or more children:
            1. services provided to adults living in households that include 1 or more children, and that—
              1. do or may affect significantly any 1 or more aspects of the well-being of those children; and
                1. are for the time being prescribed under subsection (2):
                2. services provided in respect of children that are for the time being prescribed under subsection (3)

                  Health New Zealand has the meaning in section 4 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022

                    independent person, in relation to a prescribed State service and its chief executive, the board of Health New Zealand, or a school board, means a person who is neither of the following:

                    1. a member of the board:
                      1. an employee or officer of the service or its chief executive, or the board

                        prescribed State service means each of the following:

                        1. the Integrity Sport and Recreation Commission established under section 8 of the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act 2023:
                          1. the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment:
                            1. the Ministry of Education:
                              1. the Ministry of Health:
                                1. the Ministry of Justice:
                                  1. the Ministry of Māori Development:
                                    1. the Ministry of Social Development:
                                      1. the New Zealand Police:
                                        1. every other instrument for the time being prescribed under subsection (4)

                                          school board means a board or body that is, or 1 or more managers who are,—

                                          1. a board as defined in section 10(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020; or
                                            1. the manager or managers of a private school that is registered under section 214 of that Act; or
                                              1. a sponsor as defined in section 10(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020.

                                              2. The Governor-General may, by Order in Council, prescribe, for the purposes of paragraph (c)(ii) of the definition of children's services in subsection (1), classes, descriptions, or kinds of services—

                                              3. provided to adults living in households that include 1 or more children; and
                                                1. that do or may affect significantly any 1 or more aspects of the well-being of those children.

                                                  1. The Governor-General may, by Order in Council, prescribe, for the purposes of paragraph (d) of the definition of children's services in subsection (1), classes, descriptions, or kinds of services provided in respect of children.

                                                  2. The Governor-General may, by Order in Council, prescribe, for the purposes of paragraph (h) of the definition of prescribed State service in subsection (1), other instruments of the Crown in respect of the Government of New Zealand (whether departments, corporations, agencies, or other instruments), being instruments of that kind that are neither—

                                                  3. Health New Zealand; nor
                                                    1. school boards.

                                                      1. An order under this section is secondary legislation (see Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019 for publication requirements).

                                                      Notes
                                                      • Section 15(1) board: replaced, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                                                      • Section 15(1) board: amended, on , by section 43 of the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 5).
                                                      • Section 15(1) child: replaced, on , by section 7 of the Vulnerable Children Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 32).
                                                      • Section 15(1) DHB: repealed, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                                                      • Section 15(1) Health New Zealand: inserted, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                                                      • Section 15(1) independent person: amended, on , by section 43 of the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 5).
                                                      • Section 15(1) Māori Health Authority: repealed, on , by section 43 of the Pae Ora (Disestablishment of Māori Health Authority) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 5).
                                                      • Section 15(1) prescribed State service paragraph (aaa): inserted, on , by section 57 of the Integrity Sport and Recreation Act 2023 (2023 No 48).
                                                      • Section 15(1) school board: replaced, on , by section 668 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (2020 No 38).
                                                      • Section 15(1) school board paragraph (c): inserted, on , by section 77 of the Education and Training Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 40).
                                                      • Section 15(4)(a): amended, on , by section 104 of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 (2022 No 30).
                                                      • Section 15(5): inserted, on , by section 3 of the Secondary Legislation Act 2021 (2021 No 7).