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Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

Miscellaneous provisions - Compliance and enforcement - Power to obtain information

290: Authority to act

You could also call this:

"Compliance officers need a special paper to enter private land"

Illustration for Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

If you are a compliance officer, you need a special paper to enter private land. This paper is called a written warrant and it must be given to you by the territorial authority or water organisation you are working for. The warrant proves you are allowed to enter the land.

The territorial authority or water organisation must make sure the warrant is official. For a territorial authority, this means the warrant must have the authority's official seal. For a water organisation, the warrant must be signed by the chief executive.

If someone asks, you must show them your warrant before you enter their private land. You must also give the warrant back to the territorial authority or water organisation if your job as a compliance officer ends or if you are no longer allowed to enter private land. You can compare this to a similar law from 2002, which is available on the legislation website.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1443389.

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Government and voting > Local councilsEnvironment and resources > Food and water safety
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289: Power to enter place with consent or search warrant, or

"Council or water organisation staff can search a place with your permission or a special search warrant."

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291: Delegation of power to issue warrants to compliance officers, or

"Councils can give some of their power to others to issue special permission slips to compliance officers."

Part 5Miscellaneous provisions
Compliance and enforcement: Power to obtain information

290Authority to act

  1. If a compliance officer is authorised by this Act to enter private land on behalf of a territorial authority or water organisation, the territorial authority or water organisation must provide a written warrant that the person is so authorised.

  2. The written warrant must,—

  3. in the case of a territorial authority, be produced under the seal of the authority; or
    1. in the case of a water organisation, be certified by the chief executive of the organisation.

      1. The production of a warrant provided under subsection (1) is sufficient proof of a person’s authorisation.

      2. A compliance officer must, if requested, produce the warrant provided under subsection (1) before entering private land under its authority.

      3. A compliance officer must surrender to the territorial authority or water organisation the warrant provided under subsection (1) if—

      4. the compliance officer’s appointment is terminated; or
        1. the authorisation referred to in subsection (1) is terminated.

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