Maritime Powers Bill

Bills are proposals to make a new law or to change an existing one. Only Parliament can pass a bill. Each bill goes through several stages, giving MPs and the public the chance to have their say.

This bill provides powers to enforcement officers to respond to a range of criminal offending in international waters including offences that take place on board a New Zealand-flagged vessel in international waters, offences that take place on board a foreign-flagged vessel or stateless vessel in international waters for which New Zealand has extraterritorial jurisdiction, and situations where an alleged offender or evidence of criminal offending is located on a New Zealand, foreign, or stateless vessel in international waters.