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This bill creates a new crime: failing to report child harm. It means if you know, or should know, that a child has been physically or sexually assaulted, you must tell the police. If you don't, you could face up to three years in prison. There are some exceptions, like if you fear for your safety or believe someone else has already reported it.
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This bill creates a new crime for not telling the police if you know a child has been hurt, aiming to improve how child abuse cases are handled.
Clause 4 inserts a new section 195B to make it an offence, punishable by up to 3 years in prison, to know that a child has been, or is likely to be, assaulted (whether physically or sexually) and not inform Police.
Every person is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years who— (a) knows or ought to know that a child has been, or is likely to be, assaulted (whether physically or sexually); and (b) fails, without reasonable excuse, to inform a constable as soon as possible.
Submissions open once a bill reaches the select committee stage and the committee calls for them. In the meantime, you can write to your local MP about it.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Politika’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Politika editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Politika is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.
