New Zealand

• Acts of Parliament, including the Constitution Act 1986 and the Bill of Rights Act 1990
• Case law (precedent), including common-law decisions from New Zealand, England and Australia
• The Treaty of Waitangi, whose principles are recognised in many statutes
• Tikanga Māori (Māori custom), which is recognised as part of the law in some areas

• The Supreme Court of New Zealand at the top (since 2004, in place of the Privy Council)
• The Court of Appeal, then the High Court
• District courts, and specialised bodies such as the Māori Land Court and the Waitangi Tribunal

A law degree, a professional course, and admission as a barrister and solicitor. The profession is united in one.

• The accident compensation scheme (ACC) largely removes the right to sue for personal injury, in return for no-fault cover.
• Courts cannot strike down Acts of Parliament, though they can say if an Act conflicts with the Bill of Rights.
• The Treaty of Waitangi shapes law and public policy.
• Barristers and solicitors are one profession, but many practise as barristers sole.

Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Singapore

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists New Zealand as: Common law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cook Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, India, Ireland, Jamaica.

• Courts of New Zealand

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.