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Drafting Practice And Model Clauses | Parliamentary Counsel Office
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d-lg-block col-lg-4 side-nav pb-4 pe-md-5"> <div class="list-group list-unstyled" role="navigation" aria-label="Section"> <a class="border-0 rounded mb-2 list-group-item list-group-item-action active" href="/instructing-the-pco/drafting-practice-and-model-clauses"> <span class="fw-medium">Drafting practice and model clauses</span> </a> <div class="ms-2"> <div class="ms-2 border-2 border-start border-secondary" role="listitem" aria-label="Clauses for standard elements of Treaty settlement Bills"> <a class="ms-2 w-auto border-0 rounded p-0 list-group-item list-group-item-action " href="/instructing-the-pco/drafting-practice-and-model-clauses/standard-treaty-clauses"> <div class="p-3"> <span class="fw-medium">Clauses for standard elements of Treaty settlement Bills</span> </div> </a> </div> <div class="ms-2 border-2 border-start border-secondary" role="listitem" aria-label="Model clauses for alternative dispute resolution"> <a class="ms-2 w-auto border-0 rounded p-0 list-group-item 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legislation.</p> <div class="accordion d-block d-lg-none my-3" id="mobilePageNavigation"> <div class="accordion-item"> <div class="accordion-header"> <button class="accordion-button" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#pageNavigation" aria-expanded="true" aria-controls="collapseOne"> <div class='d-block'> <div class="h6 m-0"> Drafting practice and model clauses </div> <div> Section navigation </div> </div> </button> </div> <div id="pageNavigation" class="accordion-collapse show" data-bs-parent="#mobilePageNavigation"> <div class="accordion-body p-2"> <div class="list-group list-unstyled"> <a class="border-0 rounded mb-2 list-group-item list-group-item-action active" href="/instructing-the-pco/drafting-practice-and-model-clauses"> <span class="fw-medium">Drafting practice and model clauses</span> </a> <div class="ms-2 border-2 border-start border-secondary" role="listitem" aria-label="Clauses for standard elements of Treaty settlement Bills"> <a class="ms-2 w-auto 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href="/instructing-the-pco/drafting-practice-and-model-clauses/new-amending-styles"> <div class="p-3"> <span class="fw-medium">A new approach to describing how amendments are made in legislation</span> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="my-4"> <div class="jump-links container pt-3 my-3 border rounded border-secondary"> <h2 class="h6 mt-0">On this page</h2> <div class="list-group mb-1" role="navigation" aria-label="Content"> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Commencement clauses (navigates to section on this page)" href="#commencement-clauses"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Commencement clauses </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Empowering provisions—standard practice and provisions (navigates to section on this page)" href="#empowering-provisions-standard-practice-and-provisions"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Empowering provisions—standard practice and provisions </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Transitional and savings provisions—standard practice and provisions (navigates to section on this page)" href="#transitional-and-savings-provisions-standard-practice-and-provisions"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Transitional and savings provisions—standard practice and provisions </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Infringement regimes (navigates to section on this page)" href="#infringement-regimes"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Infringement regimes </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Pecuniary penalties (navigates to section on this page)" href="#pecuniary-penalties"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Pecuniary penalties </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Goods and Services Tax (navigates to section on this page)" href="#goods-and-services-tax"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Goods and Services Tax </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Treaty settlement Bills—clauses for standard elements (navigates to section on this page)" href="#treaty-settlement-bills-clauses-for-standard-elements"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Treaty settlement Bills—clauses for standard elements </a> <a class="list-group-item d-flex align-items-center text-decoration-none ps-0 py-1 border-0 text-primary" aria-label="Jump to Model clauses for alternative dispute resolution (navigates to section on this page)" href="#model-clauses-for-alternative-dispute-resolution"> <i class="bi bi-arrow-down-short fs-3 me-2"></i> Model clauses for alternative dispute resolution </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-content"><p>PCO has an ongoing programme of developing agreed solutions to common problems in legislation. The solutions include drafting practices and standardised or model clauses for commonly used components of legislation. This work improves effectiveness, certainty, and efficiency, and directly contributes to our statutory objective of promoting high-quality legislation that is easy to find, use, and understand. </p> <p>This page describes some of the drafting practices and standard and model clauses that we currently use, and links to further information about them.</p> <p>Where drafting practice has been settled and clauses have been standardised, drafters will implement this practice, in some cases choosing from among a few standardised wording options based on your instructions. Drafters have limited—usually no—ability to diverge from the practice or standard. If you are instructing PCO and would like to discuss the practice or standard clauses, you should raise this with us through your drafter. </p> <h2 id="commencement-clauses">Commencement clauses</h2> <p>We have settled drafting practice and wording for commencement clauses. These clauses use <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0058/latest/whole.html#DLM7298271">provisions in the Legislation Act 2019</a> and promote consistency and best practice for the range of commencement scenarios that we are instructed on. Your drafter will choose from among several standard wording approaches based on your instructions.</p> <p>The clauses provide for standardised wording for the range of commencement options ranging from simple situations to the more complex. There is guidance setting a strong preference for a fixed and practical date of commencement (rather than a rule for commencement such as 3 months after Royal assent), a preference for Order in Council commencement over the date of an event, and for providing for a default commencement date. The standard wording uses provisions of the Legislation Act 2019, which clarified certain matters relating to commencement (see in particular <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0058/latest/whole.html#DLM7298272">sections 25 to 29</a>, and <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0058/latest/whole.html#DLM7298301">43</a>).</p> <h2 id="empowering-provisions-standard-practice-and-provisions">Empowering provisions—standard practice and provisions</h2> <p>We have settled drafting practice for empowering provisions for secondary legislation, including new, plain language standard wording for the catch-all or residual regulation making powers and the wording of provisions that identify an instrument as secondary legislation (a <b>tag clause</b>) and of PPD tables (tables that set out information about publication, presentation, and disallowance). The Regulations Review Committee has endorsed the new standard wording, and our practice is not to diverge from it. Our settled practices cover:</p> <ul><li><p>ensuring it is clear which section or subsection is the empowering provision</p></li><li><p>ensuring the maker of the secondary legislation is clearly identified</p></li><li><p>limiting the different labels used for secondary legislation, and avoiding some</p></li><li><p>how to use the new catch-all or residual regulation making power. The new wording provides:</p></li><li><p>the machinery for making regulations to cover cases where the Act already refers to things being “prescribed” or made “by regulations” (the <b>contemplation power</b>)</p></li><li><p>a limited power, which will seldom be used, to make regulations to cover minor matters that complement something else already in the Act</p></li><li><p>no longer including a specific power in the empowering provision if it would only “double-up” on the contemplation power. For example, if an Act refers to forms prescribed in regulations, it is enough to rely on the contemplation power</p></li><li><p>when a specific power is needed (eg to add details to clearly and precisely set out the permitted subject matter or purposes of a particular regulation and any preconditions)</p></li><li><p>the use of tag clauses (the provision that specifies that an instrument made under an empowering provision is secondary legislation) and publication, presentation, and disallowance (PPD) tables.</p></li></ul> <h2 id="transitional-and-savings-provisions-standard-practice-and-provisions">Transitional and savings provisions—standard practice and provisions</h2> <p>Our settled drafting practice is to put transitional and savings provisions relating to amendment Acts or amending secondary legislation in a schedule to the principal Act or secondary legislation.</p> <p>The transitional and savings schedule is always the first schedule to the relevant principal Act. A schedule will always be inserted in a new principal Act as Schedule 1, even if there are no transitional or savings provisions relating to the Act as first enacted. We also have settled practice and standard wording for the operative clauses and arrangement of the schedules.</p> <p>Generally, a transitional or savings provision will remain in the schedule even after it is spent. This ensures that an Act or secondary legislation retains a complete record of these provisions over the life of the legislation.</p> <h2 id="infringement-regimes">Infringement regimes</h2> <p>We have settled drafting practice and wording for infringement regimes. We use these standard clauses when instructed to include an infringement regime in legislation. The standard clauses allow for certain policy choices to be made. The practice and standard clauses are designed to support consistent and effective drafting of infringement regimes.</p> <p>An infringement regime in a subject-specific Act (eg the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2013/0069/latest/DLM4090578.html">Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013</a>, the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1979/0041/latest/DLM33082.html">Litter Act 1979</a>) relies for its workability on a combination of the subject-specific Act's provisions, the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1957/0087/latest/DLM310743.html">Summary Proceedings Act 1957</a>, the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1958/0038/latest/DLM11296.html">Summary Proceedings Regulations 1958</a>, and the <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2011/0081/latest/DLM3360592.html">Criminal Procedure Act 2011</a>. The standard clauses are designed around this relationship. </p> <h2 id="pecuniary-penalties">Pecuniary penalties</h2> <p>The Government accepted in principle a <a href="https://www.lawcom.govt.nz/our-projects/law-relating-civil-penalties">recommendation of the Law Commission</a> that PCO draft model provisions for common pecuniary penalty provisions, subject to further work being done on model provisions. These clauses are under development. Once finalised, they will act as a companion to <a href="http://ldac.org.nz/guidelines/legislation-guidelines-2021-edition/compliance-and-enforcement-2/chapter-26/">Chapter 26</a> of the <a href="http://www.ldac.org.nz/guidelines/legislation-guidelines-2021-edition/">Legislation Guidelines</a> (2021 edition) on pecuniary penalty regimes.</p> <p>If you are instructing on a new pecuniary penalty regime, you may wish to engage with PCO’s Legislative Stewardship team through your drafter about progress on the standard clauses and the key policy choices that need to be made.</p> <h2 id="goods-and-services-tax">Goods and Services Tax</h2> <p>PCO’s settled drafting practice is to state amounts for new regulatory charges as exclusive of GST. PCO also has a policy of clarifying the GST position for existing charges when a reasonable opportunity to do so arises (for example, when a particular set of regulations is next substantively amended). This practice was settled in 2018 and resulted from the practical difficulties in stating fees and levies on a GST-inclusive basis.</p> <p>Agencies should instruct using GST-exclusive amounts for new regulatory charges, and consider the GST position for any other charges in any principal legislation. Parliament has also clarified that new regulatory charges are subject to GST in most circumstances and provided for a transition for existing charges (see Goods and Services Tax Act 1985, <a href="https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1985/0141/latest/DLM81877.html">section 5(6EC)</a> and related provisions from 1 July 2023).</p> <h2 id="treaty-settlement-bills-clauses-for-standard-elements">Treaty settlement Bills—clauses for standard elements</h2> <p>The Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations decided on 22 January 2013 that standard clauses are to be used in new Treaty of Waitangi Settlement Bills covering redress that is common to most settlements.</p> <p><a href="/instructing-the-pco/drafting-practice-and-model-clauses/standard-treaty-clauses"> More about the standard Treaty clauses </a></p> <h2 id="model-clauses-for-alternative-dispute-resolution">Model clauses for alternative dispute resolution</h2> <p>These model clauses form a companion-piece to <a href="http://www.ldac.org.nz/guidelines/legislation-guidelines-2021-edition/appeal-and-review-2/chapter-29/">Chapter 29</a> ("Including alternative dispute resolution clauses in legislation") of the <a href="http://www.ldac.org.nz/guidelines/legislation-guidelines-2021-edition/">Legislation Guidelines</a> (2021 edition). The Guidelines provide that these should be used when designing an ADR process.</p> <p><a href="/instructing-the-pco/drafting-practice-and-model-clauses/adr-model-clauses"> More about the model clauses </a></p></div> <hr> <p class="text-muted">Last updated: 31 July 2024</p> </div> </div> <a href="#content" data-back-to-top-target="backToTop" class="btn btn-secondary back-to-top"> Back to top <i class="bi bi-arrow-up"></i> </a> </main> <footer id="js-footer" data-back-to-top-target="footer" class="d-print-none"> <div class="container bg-white p-4"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-4"> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/faq"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Frequently asked questions</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">Ngā pātai ka pātaitia nuitia me ngā whakautu</span> </a> </div> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/accessibility"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Accessibility</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">Te āheinga kia uru atu</span> </a> </div> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/site-information/privacy-statement"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Privacy statement</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">He tauākī matatapu</span> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/site-information/copyright"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Copyright</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">He manatārua</span> </a> </div> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/site-information/disclaimer"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Disclaimer</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">He kupu whakakāhore</span> </a> </div> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/about-us/careers-at-the-pco/vacancies"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Vacancies</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">He tūranga mahi</span> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <div class="py-2 ps-0"> <a class="link-primary d-flex flex-column" href="/contact-us"> <span class="fw-medium text-dark order-1">Contact us</span> <span class="fw-medium order-0" lang="mi">Whakapā mai</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="bg-primary py-md-4 pt-4"> <div class="container"> <div class="row justify-content-between align-items-center"> <div class="col-md-auto ps-4 ps-md-0 pb-4 pb-md-0"> <a href="https://www.govt.nz/"> <img alt="New Zealand Government Logo" height="60" src="/vite/assets/nzgovt-Bbq0gXjI.png" /> </a> </div> <div class="col-12 col-md-auto text-md-start ps-4 ps-md-0 pb-4 pb-md-0 d-flex"> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/parliamentary-counsel-office" class="d-flex align-items-center text-white me-3"> <i class="bi bi-linkedin fs-4 me-2"></i> Connect with us on LinkedIn </a> <div class="border-start border-white ps-3"> <a href="#" id="js-shielded"> <img alt="shielded" src="https://shielded.co.nz/img/custom-logo.png" height="50" width="50"> </a> <script src="https://staticcdn.co.nz/embed/embed.js"></script> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </footer> </body> </html>