We are thrilled that a new law has recently been passed to make stalking a crime in New Zealand, which will go live in May 2026. Shine is a member of the Auckland Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children that played a key role in campaigning for this law.
Previous governments committed to criminalising stalking, but did not do so. In June 2025, the Coalition presented a petition with 22,500 signatures to members of Parliament, and the Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith responded with a commitment to introduce a bill by the end of 2025. Shine and the Coalition have remained involved in the process, winning some key reforms to strengthen the bill before it became law.
The new crime of stalking is defined as a pattern of behaviour that causes fear or distress, with at least two specified acts committed within two years. Broadly, the specified acts include repeat unwanted contact, monitoring and surveillance, damaging a person’s reputation, intimidation and violence, and any act that causes fear or distress, whether done directly to the targeted person, or to their family member, or via a third party – with or without their knowledge.
Learn more about stalking and how the crime of stalking is now defined by law in this blog.
If you are being stalked and want to know what you can do and who can help, read this blog.