The Senior Courts Act 2016 comes into force on 1 March 2017. You need to know that some parts of the Act start earlier or later than this date. Some parts, like section 4, sections 147 to 155, sections 173 and 174, section 182(1), section 183(c), section 185, Schedule 2, and Schedule 4, start the day after the Act gets Royal assent. The Act also says that section 182(4) comes into force on 1 January 2018. You can find the exact dates when each part of the Act starts in the Act itself.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6942004.

This page was last updated on 24 February 2026 — View changes

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1: Title, or

"The name of this law is the Senior Courts Act 2016"

3: Purposes, or

"This law combines old laws and explains how New Zealand's top courts work."

2Commencement

This Act comes into force on 1 March 2017.
Subsection (1) applies with the following exceptions:
the following provisions come into force on the day after the date of Royal assent:
1. section 4, in relation to the definition of High Court Rules:
2. sections 147 to 155:
3. sections 173 and 174:
4. section 182(1):
5. section 183(c):
6. section 185:
7. Schedule 2:
8. Schedule 4:
section 182(4) comes into force on 1 January 2018.