A constitution forms the basis for all law within a country and defines the principles on which the government, including the justice system, must operate. It sets up the most important institutions of government, states their principal powers and makes broad rules about how these powers can be used.
In some countries the constitution is written down in one place; in New Zealand, it’s not. New Zealand's constitution is drawn from a number of important statutes (laws), judicial decisions, and customary rules (constitutional conventions).
Key parts of New Zealand's constitution can be found in a number of documents. Together with New Zealand's constitutional conventions (generally legally accepted ways of doing things), the following documents form our constitution:
Other aspects of the constitution are also found in legislation in the United Kingdom and other New Zealand legislation, judgments of the courts and broad constitutional principles and conventions.
The rule of law also forms a significant part of the New Zealand constitution. The principles of the rule of law are not easily defined but encompass ideas such as:
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