This guide is for students who are studying non-law disciplines. Law students should refer to the New Zealand Law Style Guide (NZLSG).
The guidelines below are for New Zealand Acts, Regulations (secondary legislation), Bills and Cases. For other jurisdictions, see Chapter 11 in the APA manual, which largely follows The Bluebook.
These guidelines have been adapted from NZLSG as the APA legal section covers USA law, which differs from New Zealand.
The Name of the Act is in Title Case (Capitalise the first letter of each major word).
Name of the Act Year Enacted. https://xxx
Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1975/0116/latest/whole.html
Resource Management Act 1991. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1991/0069/latest/DLM230265.html
Note: Add the country abbreviation if using Acts from other countries.
Human Rights Act 1998 (U.K.). http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/contents
The Regulation Name is in Title Case (Capitalise the first letter of each major word).
Regulation Name Year. https://xxx
Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights) Regulations 1996. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1996/0078/latest/DLM209080.html
Accident Compensation (Motor Vehicle Account Levies) Regulations 2022. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2022/0115/latest/whole.html
The Title of the Bill is in Title Case (Capitalise the first letter of each major word).
Title of Bill Year introduced (Bill number-Bar number). https://xxx
Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3) 2023 (239-2). https://legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2023/0239/latest/LMS823871.html
Medicines Amendment Bill (No 2) 2022 (138-1). https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2022/0138/latest/LMS703427.html
There are two types of cases: reported and unreported. Use the Lexis Advance Casebase citator or Westlaw NZ Cases databases to check if the case has been reported. Reported cases are published in law reports. If the law report is cited in several places, always cite the official law reporting series - New Zealand Law Reports (NZLR), if available. Some cases remain unreported. For guidance on finding case law, see the New Zealand Case Law guide.
Use the Legal Citations of Aotearoa New Zealand (LCANZ) to find the law report abbreviations and which form of brackets are used (square or round) in a citation. For overseas law report abbreviations, see the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.
The Case Name is in italics, and Title Case (Capitalise the first letter of each major word).
Some cases will have a neutral citation; this is a unique reference number assigned by a court to a legal judgment. It’s used to identify and locate the judgment easily, regardless of where it’s published. It provides the Year Decided, Court abbreviation and judgment number. When a neutral citation is provided, it should be included in the case citation. The list of when each NZ court adopted neutral citation is in NZLSG Rule 3.3.3(b).
Case name [Year Decided] Jurisdiction Court Identifier Judgment number, [Year Reported] Volume number Law Report Abbreviation First Page number.
Action Helicopters Ltd v. van Asch Ventures Ltd [2023] NZHC 1623, (2023) 24 NZCPR 409.
Soft Technology JR Ltd v. Jones Lang Lasalle Ltd [2022] NZCA 353, [2023] 3 NZLR 223.
Woolworths New Zealand Ltd v. Auckland Council [2023] NZSC 45, [2023] 1 NZLR 113.
Note: For all cases with a neutral citation, add the jurisdiction to the court identifier, e.g. NZ for New Zealand, followed by the court abbreviation, e.g. CA for the Court of Appeal.
Case name, [Year Reported] Volume number Law Report Abbreviation First Page number (Court Identifier).
Attorney-General v. Hull [2000] 3 NZLR 63 (CA).
Grain Processors Ltd v. Bluebird Foods Ltd (1999) 9 TCLR 383 (HC).
Some cases will have a neutral citation; this is a unique reference number assigned by a court to a legal judgment. It’s used to identify and locate the judgment easily, regardless of where it’s published. It provides the Year Decided, Court abbreviation and judgment number. When a neutral citation is provided, it should be included in the case citation. The list of when each New Zealand court adopted neutral citation is in NZLSG Rule 3.3.3(b).
Case name [Year Decided] Jurisdiction Court Identifier Judgment number.
Street v. Brouwers [2011] NZSC 17.
Case name Court Identifier file number, Day Month Year.
Unison Networks Ltd v. Commerce Commission CA161/05, 24 August 2005.
Case name Court Identifier Registry Location file number, Day Month Year.
Party Bus Co Ltd v. Attorney-General HC Auckland CIV-2011-404-1319, 30 September 2011.
The Treaty or Convention Name is in Title Case (Capitalise the first letter of each major word).
Name of the Treaty or Convention, Month Day, Year. https://xxx
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, September 25, 2008. https://www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/constitutional-issues-and-human-rights/human-rights/international-human-rights/crpd/
New Zealand Australia Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement, March 28, 1983. https://www.treaties.mfat.govt.nz/search/details/t/2729
Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Te reo Māori text, February 6, 1840. https://waitangitribunal.govt.nz/treaty-of-waitangi/te-reo-maori-version/
Treaty of Waitangi: English text, February 6, 1840. https://waitangitribunal.govt.nz/treaty-of-waitangi/english-version/
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, November 20, 1989. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
Parenthetical citation: When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text, include the author’s name and publication date in brackets, generally at the end of the sentence, e.g. ... services closer to home (Bishop, 2024).
Narrative citation: If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets, generally at the beginning of the sentence, e.g. Bishop (2024) argued that time was ...
When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text, include the author’s name and publication date in brackets (parenthetical citation).
If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets (narrative citation).
... the cultivation of prohibited plants (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975).
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 prohibits the cultivation of ...
... existing building works (Resource Management Act 1991, s. 10B).
The Resource Management Act 1991, section 10B, states how the land may be used regarding existing building works.
When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text, include the author’s name and publication date in brackets (parenthetical citation).
If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets (narrative citation).
... providing vaccination against COVID-19 (Medicine Amendment Bill, 2022).
The Medicines Amendment Bill 2022 purpose was to protect the population against ...
... Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3) 2023, cl. 4).
In the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 3) 2023, clause 4 regarding Te Tiriti o Waitangi ...
When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text, include the author’s name and publication date in brackets (parenthetical citation).
If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets (narrative citation).
... as shown in the case (Street v. Brouwers, 2011)
... In the case Street v. Brouwers (2011), evidence showed ...
... in terms of the urban development in the Albany basin (Attorney-General v. Hull, 2000, pp. 65-67).
... subdivider's duty of care (Street v. Brouwers, 2011, para. 7).
Attorney-General v. Hull (2000), pages 65-67, discusses the urban development of the Albany basin.
Street v. Brouwers (2011), paragraph 7 reports on the responsibilities of subdividers.
When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text, include the author’s name and publication date in brackets (parenthetical citation).
If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets (narrative citation).
... fuel ley rate per litre (Accident Compensation (Motor Vehicle Account Levies) Regulations 2022).
Regarding the Accident Compensation (Motor Vehicle Account Levies) Regulations 2022 and the fuel levy rate ...
... consumers have the right to be treated respectfully (Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights) Regulations 1996, cl. 2(1)).
As shown in the Health and Disability Commissioner (Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights) Regulations 1996 clause 2(1), the consumer should be treated respectfully.
When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text, include the author’s name and publication date in brackets (parenthetical citation).
If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets (narrative citation).
... on safe guardianship of the child (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989).
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), it was ...