In New Zealand, there is a national court system for formally determining disputes between commercial parties. This document is a high-level and general guide to litigation in that national court system and covers the following:
- The New Zealand legal system
- The New Zealand court system
- Overview of a commercial proceeding
- Relief
- Costs and fees
- Class actions and third party litigation funding
- Commencing proceedings
- Commencement of claims by or against foreign persons
- Disclosure of documents
- Pre-trial disposal
- Non-dispositive applications
- Written evidence and chronologies
- Judicial issues conferences
- Pre-trial settlement
- Trial
- Judgment and appeal rights
- Enforcement of judgment
- Enforcement of foreign judgments.
The guide is available in English and will be updated in Simplified Chinese in March 2026.
