The Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2010 was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

statute designed to assist reconstruction after the

2010 Canterbury earthquake The 2010 Canterbury earthquake (also known as the Darfield earthquake) struck the South Island of New Zealand with a moment magnitude of 7.1 at on , and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (''Extreme'') on the Mercalli intensity scale. Som ...

. It expired in April 2012. The Act permitted Government ministers to suspend or make exemptions to almost any New Zealand law by

Orders in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' Ki ...

, transferring vast lawmaking power from the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

to the

government executive ''Government Executive'' is an American media publication based in Washington, D.C., that covers daily government business for civilians, federal bureaucrats, and military officials. ''Government Executive'' is part of GovExec, which is owned by ...

. It passed with unanimous support from all political parties in Parliament, although two of the smaller parties expressed concern over the wide powers it gave ministers. The Act attracted criticism from New Zealand and international academics specialising in constitutional law who claim that it lacks constitutional safeguards and has set a dangerous precedent for future natural disasters. The group of 27 legal academics expressed their concerns in an open letter released on 28 September 2010. The

New Zealand Law Society The New Zealand Law Society ( mi, Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa) is the parent body for barristers and solicitors in New Zealand. It was established in 1869, and regulates all lawyers practising in New Zealand. Membership of the society is voluntary, ...

also expressed concern and suggested Parliament amend the law to ensure the vast powers it confers are not abused. Spokesman Mr Temm said the powers delegated to Ministers “''are potentially at odds with maintenance of the principles of the rule of law''”. The Act was repealed on 19 April 2011, when it was replaced with the

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011 The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Act 2011 was a New Zealand statute that repealed the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2010 and set out measures to respond to the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes, and in particular the Febru ...

References

External links

Text of the Act
{{Earthquakes in New Zealand Repealed New Zealand legislation 2010 in New Zealand law History of Canterbury, New Zealand

See also

References

External links