Move-on orders law comes into effect

Changes to the Summary Offences Act 1981 empowering the Police to issue move-on orders will come into effect today (Sunday 25 October 2026).

Under the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Act 2026(external link), the Police can issue a move-on order to a person who is engaging in, or has recently engaged in, a range of conduct in a public place, including:

behaving in a manner that is disorderly, intimidating, threatening, or disruptive,
unreasonably obstructing, hindering, or preventing someone from entering or leaving a place of business or trade,
breaching the peace,
begging in a way that unreasonably interferes with the use or enjoyment of a public place by others, or
rough sleeping or setting up personal possessions, makeshift shelters, or structures (excluding freedom camping under the Freedom Camping Act 2011)

Move-on orders cannot be issued to someone who is:

in a public place primarily to demonstrate support or opposition for a cause or to publicise a campaign or
under 18 years of age.

A move-on order must be issued in writing and may require the person to leave the public place and to stay away from it for up to 24 hours.

Breaching an order can result in a person being fined up to $1000 or sentenced to imprisonment for up to 3 months.

The Act will be reviewed in 2029/30.

There is more information on the implementation of the law on the New Zealand Police website(external link).