Technology-based offences

Key statutes

  • Crimes Act 1961
  • Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015
  • Search and Surveillance Act 2012

Key secondary legislation

  • Crimes Amendment Act (No. 4) 2011 Commencement Order 2013
  • Crimes Amendment Act 2005 Commencement Order 2017
  • Crimes (Interception Warrants) Regulations 2003

Information/links to recent or currently underway reviews

Crimes Act 1961 - amended by the Crimes Act Amendment Act 2019 that:

  • repealed three provisions in the Crimes Act (including blasphemous libel and the ‘death within a year and a day’ rule),
  • increased the penalty for theft of animals from agricultural land,
  • protected spouses and civil union partners in cases where they would otherwise be an accessory after-the-fact to an offence,

and by the Crimes (Definition of Female Genital Mutilation) Amendment Act 2020 that amended the definition in the Act of female genital mutilation.

Search and Surveillance Act 2012 - a statutory review of the operation of the Act was undertaken by the Law Commission and the Ministry of Justice. The report was completed in 2017. Competing priorities have to date prevented the recommendations being progressed.</p

 
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