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General Principles

The aim of a style guide is to ensure maximum consistency among authors, clarity of writing and the ability to locate information easily. The guide includes rules for the citation of a large range of material commonly used in New Zealand, but inevitably there will be occasions where it is necessary to cite materials for which there are no specific rules. Any citation for which there is no relevant rule should be made as consistently as possible with this guide.

In relation to overseas materials not covered in this guide, we would urge users to consult the following comprehensive guides, and to make the relevant changes to make those citations consistent with the format employed in this guide such as the removal of punctuation that is not grammatically necessary:

We have ourselves made use of those guides in preparing this guide, and would like to acknowledge our debt to them. Where, however, a rule in this guide conflicts with a rule in one of them, follow the rule in this guide. We also, when preparing the first edition of this guide, made use of the then existing style guides from the various New Zealand law schools. We acknowledge those who worked on them.

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