Procedures
One national hierarchy with a $30,000 Disputes Tribunal
A single national court hierarchy — District Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court — with the Disputes Tribunal handling small claims informally and without lawyers.
Key rules
- Deadline — Most money claims: six years from the date of the act or omission (Limitation Act 2010)
- Deadline — Appeal to the Court of Appeal: 20 working days from the decision
Governing law
- Senior Courts Act 2016
- High Court Rules 2016
- Limitation Act 2010 (s. 11)
- Disputes Tribunal Act 1988
In practice
There is one national hierarchy and one set of High Court Rules, which makes procedure considerably more uniform than in a federation. The Supreme Court, established in 2004, replaced appeals to the Privy Council in London and hears appeals only by leave. The Disputes Tribunal decides claims up to $30,000 with no lawyers and no formal rules of evidence, which is the practical forum for most consumer disputes. The Limitation Act 2010 replaced the 1950 Act and introduced a late-knowledge date extending the period where the claimant could not reasonably have known of the claim, subject to a 15-year ultimate bar.