# New Zealand Legal Research MCP Server (`nz-legal-mcp`)

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing direct, read-only access to **New Zealand (NZ)** legislation, multi-tier judicial decisions (First Instance, Regional/Cantonal/Appellate, and Supreme/Constitutional courts), and statutory citation verification for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Antigravity.

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## Quick Desktop Setup (No Command Line Required)

This package includes a graphical installer for legal practitioners who prefer not to use terminal commands or edit JSON configuration files manually.

1. **Download:** Click **`<> Code`** at the top right of this repository, select **`Download ZIP`**, and extract the folder to your computer.
2. **Run the Setup Utility:**
   - **Windows:** Double-click `Click_Here_To_Install_Windows.bat`
   - **macOS:** Double-click `Click_Here_To_Install_Mac.command`
3. **Connect:** Click **Install & Connect Automatically** in the setup window and restart Claude Desktop.

**System Integrity Note:** The setup utility operates strictly in read-only mode with respect to your personal files and documents. It installs an isolated Python environment inside the extracted folder and registers the server entry in your AI client configuration.

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## Multi-Tier Judicial Hierarchy & Official Sources

This server indexes and queries decisions across the full judicial hierarchy of **New Zealand**, allowing practitioners to filter research by procedural stage:

| Judicial Tier | Covered Courts & Tribunals |
|:---|:---|
| **Tier 1 — First Instance** | District Court of New Zealand (NZDC), Family Court, Employment Court & Environment Court |
| **Tier 2 — Regional / Cantonal / Appellate** | High Court of New Zealand (NZHC) & Court of Appeal of New Zealand (NZCA) |
| **Tier 3 — Supreme & Constitutional** | Supreme Court of New Zealand / Te Kōti Mana Nui (NZSC) |

### Primary Legal Portals

- **National Legislation Registry:** New Zealand Legislation (legislation.govt.nz) (`https://www.legislation.govt.nz`)
- **Multi-Tier Case Law Database:** Judicial Decisions Online (courtsofnz.govt.nz / districtcourts.govt.nz / nzlii.org) (`https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz`)
- **Supported Citation Format Example:** `[2024] NZSC 5 or [2023] NZCA 120`

### Indexed Court & Regional Sub-Portals

| Sub-Portal Identifier (`sub_court`) | Official Endpoint / Registry |
|:---|:---|
| `senior_courts_jdo` | `https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/pdf/` |
| `district_courts` | `https://www.districtcourts.govt.nz` |

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## Available MCP Tools

| Tool | Description |
|:---|:---|
| `search_legislation` | Searches enacted statutes, codes, decrees, and official gazette publications in New Zealand. |
| `search_case_law` | Searches national jurisprudence and European/ECLI-linked judgments for New Zealand. |
| `search_tiered_court_decisions` | Filters case law specifically by judicial instance (`first_instance`, `appellate_regional`, `supreme_constitutional`) or regional/cantonal court key (`sub_court`). |
| `list_court_hierarchy` | Returns the complete 3-tier court structure and registered sub-portal endpoints for New Zealand. |
| `get_legal_document_markdown` | Retrieves full statutory or judicial texts and converts them into clean Markdown. |
| `verify_citation` | Validates statutory and case law citations against official registries. |

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<details>
<summary><b>Manual Configuration for Developers (Optional)</b></summary>

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nz-legal-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/jurisatlas/nz-legal-mcp",
        "nz-legal-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```
</details>