Does NZ need a Child Sex Offender Register?

New Zealanders are being invited to have their say about the establishment of a Child Sex Offender Register.

The Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Register) Bill has passed its first stage in Parliament. Public submissions are now open until 28 October 2015, to the Social Services Select Committee.

The intent of the bill is to reduce sexual reoffending against child victims, and the risk posed by serious child sex offenders through the establishment of the register.

The Child Sex Offender Register gives government agencies the information required to monitor child sex offenders in the community.

It would also provide up-to-date information to assist the Police to more rapidly resolve cases of child sex offending.

Once all submissions have been received and considered, the findings will be reported back to Parliament by 15 March 2016.

• You can read more about the bill on the NZ Parliament website.

• Find out how you tell select committees and Parliament what you think

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On The New Government’s Policies Of Yesteryear

Winston Peters is routinely described as the kingmaker who decides whether the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded, but equally important role as the scapegoat who can be blamed for killing taxes that his senior partners never much wanted in the first place. Neither Ardern nor Robertson for example, really wanted a capital gains tax, for fear of Labour copping the “tax and spend“ label they ended up being saddled with anyway. Usefully though, they could tell the party faithful it was wicked old Winston who killed the CGT. More