There is no legislative equivalent in New Zealand to the English Unfair Contract Terms Act. There are a number of New Zealand statutes that reform the common law approach to contractual relationships. Cancellation of a contract results in all parties being relieved from further performance but the Contractual Remedies Act also provides the courts with broad discretionary powers to grant remedial relief to any party to prevent injustice when a contract is cancelled. The Contractual Mistakes Act 1977 and the Illegal Contracts Act 1970 largely codify the established common law rules relating to contracts which are entered into by mistake or contrary to law. Both statutes, however, confer on the court a broad statutory discretion to grant remedial relief in respect of contracts subject to those Acts.
Court processes New Zealand has a multi-tiered court system.
The Disputes Tribunal is a small claims forum where lay people adjudicate the dispute. Lawyers are not permitted to appear and the matter is resolved based on broad principles of fairness and justice rather than of law. Claims for higher amounts are commenced in the High Court of New Zealand which is also the appellate court from the District Court . An appeal from a High Court decision is heard by the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. There may be a final appeal from the Court of Appeal to the Privy Council in London.