Parliament Act 2025

Parliamentary privilege - Preliminary provisions

12: Interpretation of this Part

You could also call this:

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

When you read this part of the law, some words have special meanings. You need to understand what these words mean to know what the law is saying. The law explains what these words mean. You will see words like "Article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1688", which refers to a specific part of a law from 1688 that applies in New Zealand, as stated in the Imperial Laws Application Act 1988. The law also explains what "communication" means, which includes sharing documents or information with people. This can be done in different ways, like sending a document to someone or showing it to the public. The law defines other important words too, like "court", which includes the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and other specialist courts like the Employment Court and the Environment Court. You will also see the term "document", which can be anything with words, pictures, or sounds on it, like a book, photo, or video. The law says what a "summons" is, which is a formal request to attend a court or tribunal. A "tribunal" is a person or group that can ask for evidence or information, and this includes some inquiries, as stated in the Inquiries Act 2013. The law explains that some words have specific meanings when talking about the House of Representatives or its committees. These meanings help you understand what the law is saying about parliamentary privilege.

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 It might be out of date or be missing some parts.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

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

This page was last updated on 25 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Crime and justice > Courts and legal helpGovernment and voting > Government departmentsRights and equality > Anti-discrimination

11: How to interpret this Part, or

"Understanding this part of the law: respecting its purpose and government roles"

13: Meaning of proceedings in Parliament, or

"What happens in Parliament when they discuss and make decisions"

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.

Compare

2014 No 58 s 5(1), (3)