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Constitution Act 1986

Miscellaneous provisions

26: United Kingdom enactments ceasing to have effect as part of the law of New Zealand

You could also call this:

"Some old UK laws stop being part of New Zealand's law when this Act starts"

Illustration for Constitution Act 1986

When this Act starts, some laws from the United Kingdom will no longer be part of New Zealand's law. You will not see the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, the Statute of Westminster 1931, or the New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1947 as part of New Zealand's law anymore. These laws will cease to have effect in New Zealand.

Some rules from the Acts Interpretation Act 1924 will still apply to these old laws. You can think of these old laws as if they were New Zealand laws that have been repealed. This means some parts of the Acts Interpretation Act 1924 will still be relevant to them.

A specific part of the Statute of Westminster 1931 will still have an effect, even though the rest of it will not be part of New Zealand's law. This part is about what the word "Colony" means in United Kingdom laws. You should know that this part will keep working as it did before, even after the Statute of Westminster 1931 is no longer part of New Zealand's law.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM94259.

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27: Consequential amendments to other enactments, or

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Part 5Miscellaneous provisions

26United Kingdom enactments ceasing to have effect as part of the law of New Zealand

  1. As from the commencement of this Act the following enactments of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, namely,—

  2. the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 (15 and 16 Vict, c 72); and
    1. the Statute of Westminster 1931 (22 Geo V, c 4); and
      1. the New Zealand Constitution (Amendment) Act 1947 (11 Geo VI, c 4),—
          1. shall cease to have effect as part of the law of New Zealand.

        1. The provisions of sections 20, 20A, and 21 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1924 shall apply with respect to the enactments specified in subsection (1) as if they were Acts of the Parliament of New Zealand that had been repealed by that subsection.

        2. Without limiting the provisions of subsection (2), it is hereby declared that the effect of section 11 of the Statute of Westminster 1931 (22 Geo V, c 4) (which section declared that the expression Colony shall not, in any Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed after the commencement of the Statute of Westminster 1931, include a Dominion or any Province or State forming part of a Dominion) shall not be affected by virtue of the Statute of Westminster 1931 ceasing, by virtue of subsection (1), to have effect as part of the law of New Zealand.