Stokes is yet to break his silence regarding the brawl outside a British nightclub that left another man with a fractured eye socket. UK police have finalised a probe into the incident and prosecutors must decide whether to charge England's vice-captain.
Christchurch-born Stokes, who has become more active on social media in recent weeks and posted a good luck message to his teammates before the first Ashes test, signed a contract with the Canterbury Cricket Association (CCA) on Thursday.
Domestic players in New Zealand are contractually obliged to perform media and promotional duties, while overseas signings are generally required to do the same.
But CCA chief executive Jez Curwin has confirmed those rules won't apply to Stokes.
"It's because of his legal situation," Curwin told UK newspaper The Times.
"[We could] possibly use him for some community appearances.
"We cannot put him in jeopardy of his court proceedings. He's just not allowed to talk about it and that's not something he can risk. Nor are we prepared to put him in that situation."
Stokes' contract stipulates he can leave Canterbury at any point, meaning he will be free to join England's Ashes squad should prosecutors hand down their verdict and the ECB punish him with a backdated ban.
The ECB has made it clear it will not convene an emergency board meeting until the prosecutors announce their intentions.
"I'm really excited for him to be playing cricket again," England skipper Joe Root said of his deputy.
"It's good for him to be outdoors and getting himself ready if the opportunity arises for him to come across [during the Ashes].
"If not, for him to get back into playing cricket and get out there and away from everything that happened, to move on, is really good for him personally," Root said of Stokes' stay with his parents in Christchurch.
- AAP
