Service of Documents

General procedure for service

The procedure for service of documents is set out in s352(1) of the RMA which states documents must be served to an electronic address specified by the persons as an address for service (and an alternative method of service has not been requested ), or (unless the Environment Court has directed a different method of service) may be served by any of the following: 

  • delivering the notice in person; or

  • delivering it to the usual or last known place of residence or business of the person; or

  • sending via pre-paid post to the address of the person at their usual or last known place of residence or business of the person; or

  • posting it to the Post Office box address that the person has specified as an address for service; or

  • leaving it at a document exchange for direction to the document exchange box number that the person has specified as an address for service; or

  • sending it to the fax number that the person has specified as an address for service; or

Where a notice or other document is to be served on a Crown organisation, it may be served by any of the following:

  • delivering it at the organisation's head office or principal place of business; or

  • sending it to the fax number or email address that the organisation has specified for its head office or principal place of business; or

  • a method agreed between the organisation and the person serving the notice or document (refer section 352(4A)).

Where a notice or other document is sent by post to a person it is, in the absence of proof to the contrary, deemed to be received by the person at the time at which the letter would have been delivered in the ordinary course of the post. If a notice has been posted out but returned to the sender, it may not be deemed to have been served.

This issue was highlighted in Wellington City Council v Taylor [1997] CRN 6085018671 where a charge against Taylor for not complying with an abatement notice was dismissed, because the notice had been served by post via the Council's internal mail system. The council could not prove that the letter had been sent out the day on which it was dated nor could it prove when the defendant had received the notice.

In Farrell v Manukau City Council [2008] A056/08 the presumption of service was rebutted. The Court held that an appeal was filed within time even though there was undoubtedly prejudice to the Council in the circumstances as the Council had relied on the resource consent and progressed with the tendering process.

Service of a document on a Minister of the Crown

Where a notice, or other document, is required is to be served on a Minister of the Crown, then service on the Chief Executive of the appropriate government Department or Ministry is deemed to be service on the Minister.

Service on an organisation

Where a notice or other document is to be served on a body (whether incorporated or not), then service on an officer of the body, or on the registered office of the body, is deemed to be service on the body. If the organisation happens to be a partnership, the notice may be served on any one of the partners, and this is deemed to be service on the partnership as a whole.

Service of documents for prosecution

The laying of the information (charge) is the commencement of criminal proceedings. The procedure for service of a summons is set out in the Summary Proceedings Act 1957.

An 'information' (charge) and a summons are almost identical. The summons is the copy of the information that is served on the defendant. The summons states the date and time of the hearing. Constables and officers of the Court are authorised to serve a summons, but service by any other person requires authorisation from the Registrar for process servers (refer s25 of the Summary Proceedings Act).

The method serving a summons on a defendant is set out in s24 of the Summary Proceedings Act .

Where the master or owner of a ship is a defendant in any prosecution for an offence against s338 of the RMA for contravention of sections 15A, 15B or 15C, the procedure for service given in s352A must be followed. Section 352A(2) provides that the District Court Judge or Justice or Registrar may direct that the summons be served in accordance with s24 of the Summary Proceedings Act, where he or she is satisfied that it would not be impracticable to do so in the particular circumstances.