Dangerous Substances Act 2004

A certificate of the results of an analysis is admissible in a proceeding for an offence against this Act, and is evidence of the facts stated in it, if a copy of the certificate is served by the party who obtained the analysis on the other party to the proceeding at least 14 days before the day of the hearing.

However, a court may order, at the request of a party to the proceeding or on its own initiative, that the period mentioned in subsection (1) be reduced to the period stated in the court’s order.

An analyst who carried out an analysis in relation to which a certificate is produced as evidence in a proceeding for an offence against this Act need not be called as a witness in the proceeding by the party producing the certificate unless the court hearing the proceeding orders, at the request of a party to the proceeding or on its own initiative, that the analyst be called as a witness.