8. Rural fire committees---(1) The Governor-General may from time to
 time, by Order in Council, constitute or provide for the constitution,
 or election of a rural fire committee:

   Provided that, where all or part of a rural fire district comprises
 land within the locality over or in respect of or within which a local
 authority has or may exercise jurisdiction, that authority may be
 appointed as, or as a member of, a rural fire committee:

   Provided also that where there is land occupied for farming purposes
 or specially protected property in a rural fire district the Minister
 [of Forestry] shall, where appropriate, ensure that the interests of
 landholders and other persons having rights in or over such land or
 property are represented on the committee, having regard to sections 45
 (2) and 46 (2) of this Act.

   (2) Every rural fire committee so constituted shall be a body
 corporate, having (subject to revocation of the Order in Council
 constituting it) perpetual succession and a common seal, and being
 capable of holding real and personal property and of doing and suffering
 all other things that bodies corporate may do and suffer:

   Provided that where a local authority is the rural fire committee any
 acts or proceedings purporting to be effected by it pursuant to this Act
 shall be deemed to have been effected by that local authority acting as
 the rural fire committee.

   (3) All rural fire districts and committees constituted, provided for,
 or elected under the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1955 or the Forest and
 Rural Fires Act 1947, and subsisting at the commencement of this Act
 shall be deemed to have been constituted, provided for, or elected as
 rural fire districts and committees under this Act.
     Cf. 1955, No. 44, s. 8

       In subs. (1), in the second proviso, the words ``of Forestry''
     were inserted by s. 2 (1) (a) of the Forest and Rural Fires
     Amendment Act 1987.