Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 passed

The Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 (the Act), which implements the Agreement between the Government of New Zealand and the Government of Australia on Trans-Tasman Court Proceedings and Regulatory Enforcement (the Agreement), passed its third reading on 24 August 2010 (in the course of which a previous edition of Connected Asia Pacific was cited in Parliament). Australia passed its corresponding legislation in March 2010. The new regime creates a legal framework for trans-Tasman cooperation relating to civil proceedings and will enable disputes to be resolved more efficiently and effectively.

The stated purpose of the Act is "to streamline the process for resolving civil proceedings with a trans-Tasman element in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency" as well as to minimise existing impediments to enforcing certain Australian judgments and regulatory sanctions, and to implement the Agreement (s 3). The operative subparts of the Act are: