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Water Act 1992
27General powers of authorised officers
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27 General powers of authorised officers
(1) Subject to sections 28 and 29, an authorised officer may do any of
the following:
(a) enter and remain on any land;
(b) move any vehicle;
(c) inspect any land and anything on the land;
(d) search any land entered and anything found there;
(e) take photographs and make sketches or other records of land
or things found on land;
(f) take photographs of any person on or in land;
(g) make recordings in any medium, including audio, visual and
audio-visual recordings, of land or things found on land;
(h) inspect and take copies of documents and records;
(i) seize any documents and any computer or other equipment
required to access any documents;
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(j) operate any computer or other equipment;
(k) bring equipment or materials on to land and install and
maintain equipment or materials;
(l) measure anything or take samples of anything on land;
(m) examine or test any equipment, machinery or other thing;
(n) require a relevant person to:
(i) provide the person's name, address and date of birth
and evidence of these; and
(ii) if the relevant person is acting as a member of a
partnership – provide the name, address and telephone
number of each other partner in the partnership; and
(iii) if the relevant person is acting as a member of the
committee of management of an unincorporated body –
provide the name, address and telephone number of
each other member of the committee of management;
(o) require a person on the land to give the authorised officer
reasonable assistance to exercise or perform the authorised
officer's powers or functions including:
(i) by operating any computer or other equipment; and
(ii) by providing any access or assistance to access any
computer or other equipment or any service;
(p) authorise a person to provide assistance to the authorised
officer in the exercise or performance of the authorised
officer's powers or functions;
(q) do any other act or thing or cause anything else to be done
that the officer believes on reasonable grounds is necessary
for, or incidental to, the exercise of a power mentioned in this
Division.
associated person, of a person, means:
(a) if the person is a member of a partnership – a partner of the
person; or
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(b) if the person is a member of and acting on behalf of an
unincorporated body – a member of the committee of
management of the body; or
(c) an employee, agent, licensee, contractor or subcontractor of
the person or of a partnership or body mentioned in
paragraph (a) or (b).
relevant person means:
(a) a person who is on, or in the vicinity of, land entered by the
authorised officer under this section; or
(b) a person who the authorised officer suspects on reasonable
grounds is travelling to or from the land; or
(c) a person who the authorised officer suspects on reasonable
grounds is the owner or occupier of the land; or
(d) a person who the authorised officer knows or suspects on
reasonable grounds is the holder of a permit, licence or
consent under this Act; or
(e) a person who the authorised officer suspects on reasonable
grounds is a person who is under investigation for a suspected
contravention of this Act; or
(f) a person who the authorised officer suspects on reasonable
grounds is a person who is an associated person of a person
mentioned in paragraph (c), (d) or (e).