New Zealand Executive Government News Release Archive

21 August 1996

Minister of Justice, Hon D.A.M. Graham

Pamphlet draws travellers' attention to new sex law

The Minister of Justice, Hon D.A.M. Graham, today welcomed the publication of a pamphlet designed to inform the public that it is an offence under New Zealand law for New Zealanders to have sex with children while overseas.

The pamphlet titled Sex with a Child is Illegal will be displayed prominently at Customs areas at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch international airports.

Mr Graham says that by making the pamphlets available to all departing passengers, it is hoped that they will contribute to the new law's deterrent effect.

The amendments to the Crimes Act creating the extra-territorial offence define a child as a boy or girl under the age of 16. It is an offence under NZ law for:

• NZ citizens and residents to have sex with a child in another country
• Anyone in NZ to help people travel overseas to have sex with children, or for anyone in NZ to promote child sex tours
• Anyone to import, distribute or possess child pornography in NZ

The penalties in NZ for sex offences against children in any country are 7 to 14 years maximum imprisonment for sexual offending and 7 years maximum imprisonment for organising or promoting sexual offending.

Government and non-governmental organisations worked together to produce the pamphlet. ECPAT (End Child Prostitution), as part of its overall work in NZ raising awareness about child prostitution and its link to tourism, produced it with advice and assistance from the Ministry of Justice and the Customs and Police Departments. The tourist organisation TAANZ also contributed.

Mr Graham said the release of the pamphlet was timely with a world congress against commercial sexual exploitation of children to be held in Stockholm next week.

NZ will be represented at the conference by government and non-governmental representatives.

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