By Mike Bain/cvnznews.com
Stalking becomes a criminal offence from midnight, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced, with offenders facing up to five years’ imprisonment under the new law.
Minister of Justice.
Goldsmith said the change sends a clear message: stalking and harassment are serious crimes that cause deep emotional, psychological and economic harm, and they will no longer be tolerated. “This insidious behaviour has to stop,” he said, adding the government was determined victims would face real consequences and be placed at the centre of the justice system.
The Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Act creates a new offence defined by a pattern of behaviour the offender knew was likely to cause fear or distress. A pattern is met when an offender commits two specified acts within a two‑year period.
The Act lists a range of behaviours that can amount to stalking, including watching, following or loitering near a person; recording or tracking; repeated contact or communication; damaging or interfering with property or taonga (including pets); harming a person’s reputation or opportunities; publishing material about someone or pretending to be them (covering doxxing); and any conduct that would cause fear or distress to a reasonable person.
The law includes a police notice system and sets out relevant defences, Goldsmith said, and follows extensive public input — more than 600 submissions to the Justice Committee, many from people who shared personal experiences of stalking.
Goldsmith framed the change as part of a wider push to “fix the basics” in law and order. He pointed to other measures already introduced to strengthen sentencing and give sexual‑violence victims greater say over name suppression. “It’s all very well being able to charge somebody, but it’s pointless if there aren’t real consequences,” he said.
The Government says the new offence recognises the range of modern stalking tactics and aims to give police and courts clearer tools to protect victims. Critics of past practice have long argued that stalking often went unpunished because behaviour was episodic or hard to fit into existing offences.
The Act takes effect at midnight. Police and victim support agencies will be expected to roll out guidance on the new offence and the notice system as cases begin to be brought under the law.
