Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

Assessment and treatment of persons suffering from severe substance addiction - Rights of patients - Limits on right to receive and send mail and electronic communications

63: Mail and electronic communications not to be withheld if sent by or to certain people

You could also call this:

"You can still get and send mail and emails to important people like MPs, judges, and your lawyer."

Illustration for Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

If you are a patient, you can still get mail or send emails to certain people. You can get mail or emails from a member of Parliament, a Judge, or some other important officials like the Ombudsman or the Privacy Commissioner. You can also get mail or emails from the Health and Disability Commissioner, a Human Rights Commissioner, or the Children's Commissioner if you are a child or young person.

You can send mail or emails to these people too, and also to your lawyer, or a doctor who is giving you a second opinion about your condition. The Director-General of Health, the Director, or a district inspector are also people you can get mail or emails from, or send mail or emails to. This is because of a rule that says a direction under section 61(4) cannot stop you from getting or sending mail or emails to these people.

If you want to know more about this rule, you can look at the law that it comes from.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

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=DLM6609211.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Mental healthCrime and justice > Courts and legal help
Previous

62: Approval required to check and withhold mail and electronic communications, or

"Someone needs permission to read or stop your letters and emails."

Next

64: Procedure where mail and electronic communications withheld, or

"What happens if someone stops you getting your mail or emails"

Part 2Assessment and treatment of persons suffering from severe substance addiction
Rights of patients: Limits on right to receive and send mail and electronic communications

63Mail and electronic communications not to be withheld if sent by or to certain people

  1. A direction under section 61(4) must not prevent a patient from receiving mail or electronic communications from or sending mail or electronic communications to any of the persons described in subsection (2).

  2. The persons referred to in subsection (1) are—

  3. a member of Parliament:
    1. a Judge or an officer of a court, or a member or an officer of another judicial body:
      1. an Ombudsman:
        1. the Privacy Commissioner:
          1. the Health and Disability Commissioner:
            1. a Human Rights Commissioner:
              1. in the case of a patient who is a child or young person, the Children’s Commissioner:
                1. the Director-General of Health:
                  1. the Director:
                    1. a district inspector:
                      1. a lawyer:
                        1. an approved specialist from whom the patient has sought a second opinion about the patient's condition.

                          Compare
                          Notes
                          • Section 63(2)(g): amended, on , by section 25 of the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 34).