Ian Hardy - August 18, 2014

Even though they are not a party to the Hague Evidence Convention, New Zealand does allow the deposition of willing witnesses without any special formalities or involvement of foreign courts. Here is the official statement from the U.S. Department of State website about taking voluntary depositions of willing witnesses in New Zealand https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/Judicial-Assistance-Country-Information/NewZealand0.html:

Voluntary depositions may be conducted in New Zealand regardless of the nationality of the witness, provided no compulsion is used. Oral depositions or depositions on written questions may be taken by U.S. consular officers or by private attorneys from the U.S. or New Zealand at the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland or at another location such as a hotel or office, either on notice or pursuant to a commission. If the services of a U.S. consular officer are required to administer an oath to the witness, interpreter and stenographer, such arrangements must be made in advance with the U.S. embassy directly.
When setting-up a deposition in New Zealand one major factor to keep in mind is the time difference. If you are reading this in California at 10:00 a.m. on Monday it is 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday in New Zealand. You are already a whole day behind! Check out more country specific information on New Zealand (visa requirements, tipping etiquette, electrical configurations, and much more): http://optimajuris.com/info-center/regional-guides-oceania.shtml.
Have any questions? Optima Juris is the leading provider of U.S. depositions in New Zealand and we are happy to assist you in any way possible. As a California registered company, run from Los Angeles, we pride ourselves on providing American high standards of service, all over the world. Your requests are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Please feel free to contact us at any time at: depos@optimajuris.com, or visit our informational quote request page for New Zealand at: http://optimajuris.com/court-reporter-new-zealand/
Photo credit: By Lawrence Murray from Perth, Australia (Queenstown from Bob’s Peak) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons