Interpretation Act 2005 section 4

Application

Section 4 establishes when and how the Interpretation Act 2005 applies to other legislation, and clarifies that its provisions can be overridden where a different intention is clearly expressed.

• The Interpretation Act 2005 applies to all enactments unless a contrary intention is evident.
• A contrary intention may appear in the Interpretation Act itself, in the enactment being interpreted, or in the parent Act under which that enactment was made.
• The Act also applies to itself — its own provisions are subject to the same interpretive rules it sets out for other legislation.
• Where any specific enactment clearly signals a different approach, that enactment's own intention takes priority over the general rules in the Interpretation Act.