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Parliament Bill

Parliamentary privilege - Preliminary provisions

12: Interpretation of this Part

You could also call this:

"What special words mean in this part of the law"

This part of the proposed law explains what some words mean. You need to understand these words to know how the law works. The law talks about things like 'Article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1688', which is a part of New Zealand law. When you see the word 'communication', it means sharing a document or what happens in a meeting with someone. This can be done in many ways, like talking, writing, or sending a message. You can also share something with the public, which means lots of people. A 'copy' of a document is something that shows the same information as the original. It does not have to be exactly the same, but it must have the same important details. A 'court' is a place where judges make decisions about laws and disputes. The proposed law also explains what a 'document' is. It can be a piece of paper, a book, or even a video recording. It is anything that has information on it, like words, pictures, or sounds. Some other important words in this part of the law are 'summons', 'tribunal', and 'under the House of Representatives' or a committee's authority'. A 'summons' is a formal request to go to a court or meeting. A 'tribunal' is a group of people who make decisions about certain issues. Something done 'under the House of Representatives' or a committee's authority' means it is done with their permission or instruction. The law also talks about 'exercisable' privileges, which means the privileges that the House of Representatives, its committees, or its members can use. You will see these words used in other parts of the proposed law, so it is essential to understand what they mean.

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This page was last updated on 9 November 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS804131.

Topics:

Government and voting > Government departmentsCrime and justice > Courts and legal help

11: How to interpret this Part, or

"Understanding this part of the Parliament Bill: respecting government roles"

13: Meaning of proceedings in Parliament, or

"What 'proceedings in Parliament' means in the law"

Part 2Parliamentary privilege
Preliminary provisions

12Interpretation of this Part

In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—
Article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1688 means the ninth article of section 1 of the Bill of Rights 1688 to the extent that the ninth article is declared to be part of the laws of New Zealand under section 3(1) and Schedule 1 of the Imperial Laws Application Act 1988
communication, of a document or proceedings, includes—
1. communication by any means of the document or proceedings to or for any person; and
2. live or delayed original communication and delayed re-communication of the document or proceedings; and
3. live or delayed communication to the public of the document or proceedings
communication to the public, of a document or proceedings, means communication of the document or proceedings to or for the benefit of the public or a class of the public
copy, of a document, includes—
1. a copy that is not an exact copy of the document but is identical to the document in all relevant respects; and
2. a copy of a copy of the document
court means—
1. the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, or the District Court; or
2. any of the following specialist courts:
  1. the Employment Court:
  2. the Environment Court:
  3. the Māori Land Court:
  4. the Māori Appellate Court:
  5. the Court Martial of New Zealand established under section 8 of the Court Martial Act 2007:
  6. the Court Martial Appeal Court constituted by the Court Martial Appeals Act 1953
District Court includes—
1. the Family Court and the Youth Court; and
2. the District Court sitting in its admiralty jurisdiction
document means any of the following (including a copy or part of any of the following):
1. anything (whether or not it is signed or otherwise authenticated) on which there are words, figures, symbols, images, or sounds (or from which words, figures, symbols, images, or sounds can be derived), including any of the following:
  1. a label, marking, or other writing that identifies or describes a thing of which it forms part, or to which it is attached:
  2. a book, map, plan, graph, or drawing:
  3. a photograph, film, or negative:
2. information electronically recorded or stored (including an audio or a video file or recording) or information derived from that information
exercisable, in relation to privileges, immunities, or powers and in relation to a House, its committees, or its members, means that the privileges, immunities, or powers are held, enjoyed, and exercised by the House, its committees, or its members
summons, in relation to a court or tribunal, includes a writ, subpoena, or other process that—
1. is a process of, or issued by or on behalf of, the court or tribunal; and
2. requires attendance at the court or tribunal
tribunal—
1. means any person or body with power to—
  1. summons witnesses and take evidence on oath or affirmation; or
  2. otherwise require the giving of evidence or information; and
2. includes an inquiry to which the Inquiries Act 2013 applies (see section 6 of that Act); but
3. does not include the House of Representatives, a committee, or a court
under the House of Representatives’ or a committee’s authority includes by or by order of the House of Representatives or one of its committees.