The Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 Public Sector Organisation of the New Zealand Government. The PCO is staffed by Parliamentary Counsel

Parliamentary Counsel

Parliamentary counsel are lawyers who prepare legislation that it is proposed to pass into law. The term Parliamentary draftsman is also widely used. These terms are used in relation to the United Kingdom parliament, and other parliaments on the Westminster system...

, who are responsible for drafting most New Zealand legislation

Law of New Zealand

The law of New Zealand can be found in several sources. The primary sources of New Zealand law are statutes enacted by the New Zealand Parliament and decisions of the New Zealand Courts. At a more fundamental level, the law of New Zealand is based on three related principles: parliamentary...

 and publishing the official version of New Zealand Acts of Parliament

Parliament of New Zealand

The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...

 and Statutory Regulations. The PCO was established by the Statutes Drafting and Compilation Act 1920 and is under the control of the Attorney-General

Attorney-General (New Zealand)

The Attorney-General is a political office in New Zealand. It is simultaneously a ministerial position and an administrative office, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising the government on legal matters...

.