Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | New ZealandReviewed | Equatorial GuineaIndexed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Common law | Civil law (Spanish tradition) |
| System of government | Constitutional monarchy | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Uncodified โ principally the Constitution Act 1986 | Fundamental Law of Equatorial Guinea |
| In force since | 1986 | 1991 |
| Capital | Wellington | Malabo |
| Official languages | English, Mฤori, New Zealand Sign Language | Spanish, French, Portuguese |
| Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Population | 5,200,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Division of powers | Unitary. Parliament legislates for the whole country and there are no states or provinces. Regional and territorial authorities exist only under the Local Government Act 2002 and exercise delegated statutory powers. Tokelau is a non-self-governing territory, while the Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing in free association with New Zealand and have their own legal systems. | Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of Chamber of Deputies and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Supreme Court of Justice. |
| How law is made | A bill has a first reading, select committee scrutiny (usually with public submissions), second reading, committee of the whole House, and third reading, followed by Royal assent. There is no upper house, so the select committee stage carries the weight that a second chamber would elsewhere. The Attorney-General must report to the House under section 7 of the Bill of Rights Act on any bill that appears inconsistent with protected rights, but the House may pass it anyway. Reserved provisions of the Electoral Act 1993 require either 75% of all members or a majority at referendum. | Bills pass the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and are promulgated by the President, who may return a text for reconsideration. |
| Legal profession | A fused profession under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006: a lawyer is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court, and may then practise as a barrister sole or in a firm. Admission requires an approved law degree, the Professional Legal Studies Course and a certificate of character. The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kฤhui Ture o Aotearoa regulates the profession, and King's Counsel are appointed from senior practitioners. | Abogados admitted through the Ilustre Colegio de Abogados; practice requires competence in both Spanish codes and French-language OHADA texts. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full โ the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.