Both RSS feeds and an API will be available from the new NZ Legislation website
9 December 2025
As part of our redevelopment of the NZ Legislation website, we recently ran a survey to understand how people were using the RSS feeds on legislation.govt.nz and whether an API could replace these feeds.
Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey.
Your feedback was clear: RSS feeds remain critical for some users, and there are others who are keen to get access to an API.
What we heard
RSS feeds are easy to use and essential for existing workflows.
APIs offer dynamic, flexible, and programmatic access to data, allowing for easier integration with third party systems.
Our decision
We are focused on improving access to legislation, so we will provide both RSS feeds and an API, as each option serves different needs of our diverse users.
RSS feeds: simple, familiar, and widely supported. They are being used by many people for their daily work.
API: a new, reliable way for developers to get access to real-time legislative data in various formats.
What’s next?
We are still developing these services.
RSS feeds will change: The current feed format needs to be updated, so existing feeds will stop working. You’ll need to update your feed reader with new URLs.
API release: The API will launch as a v0 beta, giving us room to refine it with you. We’ll be asking for your feedback after the initial release.
When we roll out both services, we’ll provide clear guidance, including:
what the API is, its benefits, and how to get an API key
how RSS feeds and the API differ, and when to use each
how the new RSS feeds will differ slightly from existing feeds, and how to migrate to the new feeds
step-by-step instructions for setting up new RSS feeds and API access.
Your input helped us make a decision that supports diverse needs and improves access to legislation. Ngā mihi nui.
Stay tuned for further updates, and if you’d like to be on our contact list of people interested in the new API, please email us at demo@legislation.govt.nz
Explore the demo NZ Legislation website—no login needed!
19 November 2025
Good news—we’ve made it even easier to explore the demonstration New Zealand Legislation website. From 19 November 2025, you no longer need to log in to the demo site. Just visit and start exploring. No account required.
Visit the demonstration website | New Zealand Legislation
What’s new? Plenty!
If you haven’t visited the demo site recently, now’s a great time to dive back in. We’ve added a range of new features based on your feedback, including:
search within the content of legislation
select to search between the title or content of legislation
sort results by legislation number
use Boolean functions to refine your search
download XML and PDF files directly from URLs
search by legislation number from advanced search
navigate and search long legislation, such as the Income Tax Act 2007
speed up your search with autosuggest.
See our full list of new features: What's new? | New Zealand Legislation
Keep the feedback coming
We’re still building and refining the site every day. If you spot something odd or have a suggestion, use the ‘Feedback’ pop-up on the right-hand side of any page. It automatically captures the page you were on, helping us understand your feedback in context.
Prepare for the future
The full switchover to the new legislation website is coming in the first quarter of 2026. Now’s the time to get familiar with the new features and functionality so the transition is smooth for you and your team.
We encourage you to:
visit the demo site often
share it with colleagues and stakeholders
keep the feedback flowing.
Visit the demonstration website | New Zealand Legislation
PDF downloads working again
6 November 2025
The issue preventing PDFs from being download has been resolved.
You can also download up-to-date PDFs of legislation from our demonstration website here: https://demo.legislation.govt.nz/
We encourage you to log in and use the demo site for the legislation you’re looking for.
Legislation.govt.nz to replace RSS feeds with an API
22 September 2025
Later this year we will replace the NZ Legislation website's RSS feeds with an API. We want to hear from RSS feed users to ensure the API meets their needs.
As we update the New Zealand legislation website, we are replacing our RSS feeds with an Application Programming Interface (API). This replacement is scheduled to happen before the end of 2025.
The API will enable software developers to get updates for their applications when changes are published to legislation.govt.nz. You will need an API key to get access to the data service.
To help you change from the RSS feed to the new API, we will provide instructions and API keys. We will provide more information about this before the replacement is finalised.
RSS feed users, please take our survey
We want to hear from RSS feed users to ensure the replacement API meets your needs and we can contact you with API instructions. If you use the RSS feed, please take our survey here:
Do you want to test and try the new API? We are looking for testers! To sign up please note your availability on this survey.
We are here to answer your questions about this change. Please email us at demo@legislation.govt.nz.
Demo NZ Legislation website—try it out, give us your feedback
30 May 2025
We’re excited to share our new demonstration website for New Zealand legislation, including a pilot service for agency-published secondary legislation. Please explore, test, and tell us what you think!
How to access the demo site
Sign up or log in to our demo site
How to give us feedback
Use the feedback tab on the right-hand side of any page on the demo site to quickly share your thoughts about the page you are on.
Or you can email us your feedback at demo@legislation.govt.nz.
Your detailed whakaaro will help us improve the site.
What’s new
The demo website offers new content and new functionality. Highlights include:
new access to secondary legislation published by agencies, for the first time making thousands of pieces of secondary legislation published by nearly 100 government and non-government agencies searchable from the demo website
mobile optimisation, designed to work whatever your screen size
a collapsible contents pane on the left-hand side of legislation to improve navigation
new filters that quickly refine your search results
improved display and filtering by legislation status
thousands of new “as enacted” original versions of pre-2008 legislation.
The demo website will run in parallel with the existing NZ Legislation website
The demo website doesn’t yet have all functions or a complete design. In the coming months we will continue to make improvements, building new features and fixing issues, using the feedback we receive. When legislation.govt.nz is updated with legislative content, those updates are also published to demo.legislation.govt.nz.
We will continue to maintain the existing NZ Legislation website, updating its content as usual. In time it will be replaced by the demo website, but only when we are confident that the demo website is performing well for the many users of legislation.
Improvements planned for the NZ Legislation website
21 May 2025
Exciting developments are underway for the NZ Legislation website, and shortly we’ll be launching a demonstration website where you can check them out.
The demo site will run in parallel with the current NZ Legislation website. Its purpose is to let you explore, test, and give feedback on the proposed changes.
This mahi is supported by the Legislation Amendment Bill, introduced to Parliament on 14 May 2025.
Some of the highlights on the demo site will include:
new access to secondary legislation published by agencies, which will make thousands of pieces of secondary legislation published by nearly 100 government and non-government agencies searchable from the demo website
mobile optimisation, designed to work whatever your screen size
new filters that quickly refine your search results
improved display and filtering by legislation status
a collapsible contents pane on the left-hand side of legislation to improve navigation
thousands of new “as enacted” original versions of pre-2008 legislation.
Learn more about the demo site, the Legislation Amendment Bill, future plans, and why we are doing this mahi, at Improving access to NZ legislation.
Survey—How well does the NZ Legislation website work for you?
6 May 2025
This survey is now closed. We welcome any feedback through the Feedback form.
When using the NZ Legislation website, you may see a pop-up invitation to our short website user survey. If you have a minute, please do take it—we want to know how well the website works for you, and how we can make it better.
Only a percentage of people will see the survey invitation pop up. But if you’d like to take part, just follow this link:
New Zealand Legislation website satisfaction survey … [this survey is now closed]
Or contact us any time through the Feedback form.