Policing (Police Vetting) Amendment Bill
This bill sets out the official rules for how Police check people's backgrounds — a service called Police vetting. It puts the existing vetting service into law for the first time, so there are clear rules about who can ask for a check, what information can be shared, and who gives their agreement. It also lets organisations get automatic updates if someone they've already checked is later charged with or convicted of a serious offence. People can now also request a check on themselves and choose which organisations see the result.
What this affects
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The bill creates official legal rules for how Police background checks on people work, including what information can be shared and when organisations get updated if someone is charged with a serious offence.
This bill would amend the Policing Act 2008 to create a statutory framework for the vetting service provided by the Police.
A Police vet reports on any history of criminal convictions and any relevant and substantiated non-conviction information held by the Police at the time.
If a Police vet is provided in good faith to an authorised agency in response to a vetting request, no proceedings, civil or criminal, may be taken against the Commissioner or any Police employee in respect of providing the Police vet.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Justice Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 18 December 2024.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.