Regulatory Systems (Courts) Amendment Bill
Amendment Paper 635 would make targeted changes to courts legislation, including more flexible fee-setting, broader Family Court Associate powers, four additional coroners, and allowing one health assessor rather than two in specified mental-impairment proceedings.
- Closing date
- 3 August 2026
- Added to Civics
- 24 July 2026
- Source category
- Parliamentary
- Source body
- Justice Committee
- Last checked
- 24 July 2026
Closes in 10 days
Plain-English summary
The Justice Committee is seeking submissions on Amendment Paper 635 to the Regulatory Systems (Courts) Amendment Bill. The paper covers several targeted operational changes, including more flexible regulation-making powers for supervised-contact and specialist-report fees, and allowing Family Court Associates to exercise additional review jurisdiction in specified cases.
It would also raise the statutory maximum number of coroners from 22 to 26, allow a court to rely on one health assessor rather than two when deciding whether a defendant is mentally impaired, and update legal requirements for writing under the Senior Courts Act. Submitters can comment on the practical effects and safeguards for any of these changes.
Why it matters
The amendments affect the operation, capacity and evidential requirements of several parts of the courts system.
Changes may influence access, cost and timeliness for families, defendants, report providers and court users.
Who may care
- Family Court users, supervised-contact providers and people who prepare cultural, medical, psychiatric or psychological reports
- Coroners, lawyers, judges, health assessors, disability advocates and criminal-justice organisations
How to make a submission
- Read Amendment Paper 635 and the supporting material linked from Parliament's submission page.
- Make an online submission to the Justice Committee before 11:59pm on 3 August 2026.
Disclaimer
Civics.nz is an independent plain-English guide and is not an official government website. Always check the official source before making a submission.