Section 196 — Employment Relations Act 2000: Contempt of Court or Authority

196 Contempt of Court or Authority (1) This section applies where any person— (a) assaults, threatens, intimidates, or wilfully insults any person, being a member of the Authority, a Judge, an officer of the Authority, a Registrar of the Court, any other officer of the Court, or any witness, during that person's sitting or attendance in the Authority or the Court, or in going to or returning from the Authority or the Court; or (b) wilfully interrupts or obstructs the proceedings of the Authority or the Court or otherwise misbehaves in the Authority or the Court; or (c) wilfully and without lawful excuse disobeys any order or direction of the Authority or the Court in the course of the hearing of any proceedings. (2) Where this section applies,— (a) any member of the police, with or without the assistance of any other person, may, by order of the Authority or the Court, take the offender into custody, and detain the offender until the rising of the Authority or the Court: (b) a Judge, if the Judge thinks fit, may sentence the offender to imprisonment for any period not exceeding 3 months, or sentence the offender to pay a fine not exceeding $5,000 for every such offence; and, in default of payment of any such fine, may direct that the offender be imprisoned for any period not exceeding 3 months, unless the fine is sooner paid. Compare: 1991 No 22 s 107