Legislation Act 2019

Drafting and publishing of legislation - Correcting errors and making other editorial changes

87: Editorial changes

You could also call this:

"Changes to make laws easier to understand"

When you look at laws in New Zealand, you might notice that some words or sentences can be changed. These changes can be made to update the language, so it is easier to understand and consistent with how laws are written now. You can change language that refers to a specific gender to be more neutral, as long as it still means the same thing.

You can also update references to people, places, or things that have changed names. If a law mentions a specific date or time that is calculated in a certain way, you can replace that with the actual date or time once it is known. Changes can be made to show how amendments or repeals affect the law, and to make sure the law is consistent and easy to understand.

Some other changes that can be made include correcting mistakes like spelling or grammar errors, and updating the way numbers and dates are written. You can even change the title of a law to make it clearer what it is about. All these changes are made to help you understand the laws better and to make sure they are consistent and up-to-date.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7298379.


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86: Power to make editorial changes, or

"The boss of the law helpers can let them make small changes to laws without changing what they mean."


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88: Changes to numbering, or

"Making legislation easier to read by updating the numbering system"

Part 3Drafting and publishing of legislation
Correcting errors and making other editorial changes

87Editorial changes

  1. The following changes may be made under this subpart:

    Updating language, references, and numbering

  2. language that indicates or could be taken to indicate a particular gender may be changed to gender-neutral language so that it is consistent with current drafting practice, as long as it is also consistent with the purpose of the legislation being changed:
    1. language to which section 16 applies may be changed to reflect the effect of section 16 (references to specific gender or kind of person include others):
      1. a reference to the name or title of a body, an office, a person, a place, or a thing that has been changed may be replaced with a reference to the name or title as changed:
        1. a reference to a body, an office, a person, a place, or a thing that has been replaced by another body, office, person, place, or thing may be changed to a reference to the replacement body, office, person, place, or thing:
          1. the numbering, renumbering, and consequential amendments authorised by an Order in Council made under section 88:
            1. Improving legislation to reflect current drafting practice

            2. changes may be made to the way provisions are referred to, so as to be consistent with current drafting practice:
              1. unnecessary referential words may be omitted:
                1. changes may be made to words in the Māori language (te reo Māori) to reflect current orthographic conventions:
                  1. punctuation may be changed or omitted, or new punctuation inserted, so as to be consistent with current drafting practice:
                    1. conjunctives and disjunctives may be inserted, omitted, or changed so as to be consistent with current drafting practice:
                      1. changes may be made to the way numbers, dates, times, quantities, measurements, and similar matters, ideas, or concepts are referred to or expressed so as to be consistent with current drafting practice:
                        1. Correcting obvious errors

                        2. obvious errors of the following kinds may be corrected:
                          1. typographical and clerical errors:
                            1. grammatical and spelling errors, and errors of punctuation:
                              1. errors in numbering, cross-referencing, and alphabetical ordering:
                                1. errors in or arising out of an amendment, by other legislation, to the legislation being changed:
                                  1. any other errors of a similar nature:
                                  2. Changes to show effect of commencement, transition, amendments, and repeals

                                  3. a reference to a method of setting or determining a date or time (for example, a commencement that is calculated on a specified number of months after Royal assent) may be replaced with an exact reference to that date or time (once it is set or determined):
                                    1. a provision in the nature of a transitional, savings, validation, or other similar provision that is contained in amending legislation may be incorporated as a provision of the legislation it amends, and all necessary consequential amendments may be made:
                                      1. changes may be made to show the effect of any amendment or repeal, and changes may be made that are purely consequential on any amendment made, by other legislation, to the legislation being changed:
                                        1. Changes to secondary legislation Titles

                                        2. changes may be made to the Title of secondary legislation, so as to better identify the legislation or to distinguish it from other legislation:
                                          1. Other consequential changes

                                          2. changes may be made that are purely consequential on any other change authorised by this subpart.
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