Property offences

Key statutes

  • Aviation Crimes Act 1972
  • Crimes Act 1961
  • Maritime Crimes Act 1999
  • Summary Offences Act 1981
  • Terrorism Suppression Act 2002
  • Trespass Act 1980

Key secondary legislation

  • Crimes (Interception Warrants) Regulations 2003

Information/links to recent or currently underway reviews

The Aviation Crimes Act 1972 is an Act to give effect to the provisions of the Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, the Montreal Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation, the Montreal Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation, and the Tokyo Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, and for all incidental matters. It was amended in 2007 to authorise in-flight security police officers to carry weapons and to allow searches of passengers, baggage and cargo. Other legislative amendments have been made as a result of amendments to other regimes, not as a review of this legislation.

Terrorism Suppression Act 2002 (TSA) - several proposed changes are in the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill (the Bill) that was introduced in 2021. The proposed changes include:

  • making amendments to clarify the definition of a 'terrorist act'
  • create a new offence to criminalise planning or preparation for a terrorist act
  • create a new offence to more clearly criminalise terrorist weapons and combat training
  • create a new offence for international travel to carry out terrorist activities
  • expand the criminal offence of financing terrorism to include broader forms of material support
  • extend the eligibility for a control order to include individuals who have completed a prison sentence for a terrorism-related offence if they continue to present a real risk of engaging in terrorism-related activities.

Maritime Crimes Act 1999 - amended in 2017 by the Maritime Crimes Amendment Act 2017, including clarification of enforcement officers’ powers to board and search ships. The Act implements obligations under two maritime counter-terrorism treaties to ensure the maritime security framework can respond to contemporary transnational terrorist threats.

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  • repealed three provisions in the Crimes Act (including blasphemous libel and the ‘death within a year and a day’ rule)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.

Extradition Act 1999 - the Law Commission completed an extensive review of New Zealand’s extradition and mutual assistance laws in 2016. Competing priorities have prevented the recommendations being progressed.

Summary Offences Act 1961 - last amended by the Family Violence Act 2018 that created an offence of associating with violent offenders in breach of an order under the FVA.

Trespass Act 1980 - amended by the Trespass Amendment Act 1987 that extended the application of the act to public bars. All other legislative amendments have been made as a result of amendments to other regimes, not as a review of this legislation.

 
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