Vine Quick Reads: 16 January 2026

Welcome to our Quick Reads format. Each week we share selected news bites relevant to family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa.

Submissions open on the Crimes Amendment Bill

The Justice Select Committee is calling for public submissions on the Crimes Amendment Bill, which would amend the Crimes Act 1961. The Committee has also been empowered to consider the amendments set out in Amendment Paper (AP) 436, which would amend the Summary Offences Act 1981. The Bill and the AP seek to:

amend the law regarding citizen’s arrest
increase the penalties for theft
amend the laws regarding slavery and human trafficking
provide protection for Police involved in covert operations investigation child exploitation
create new offences for “coward punches”, assaults on first responders and corrections officers, and for theft committed in an offensive, threatening, insulting or disorderly manner.

Submissions are due 16 February 2026.

Ministry of Justice violence related Requests for Information (RFI)

Tāhū o te Ture | Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has issued two RFIs with relevance to the violence sectors.

RFI - Harmful Digital Communications. The Ministry is seeking information from organisations with expertise in addressing digital harm in light of the drastic shifts in the digitial environment since the passing of the Act in 2015. Closing 9 February 2026.
RFI - Services to Support Victims of Crime. The Ministry is seeking information on the current service delivery model, service gaps, and more broadly on how victims are supported, now and into the future. The RFI will also include more specific questions about some funded services. Closing 11 February 2026.

An RFI is a research tool used by government agencies to gather more information from a sector or market about the number, types, and capacity of suppliers, and future areas of focus. An RFI is not a Notice of Procurement and the Ministry has noted that respondents do not have to be interested in delivering services to provide responses to these RFIs.

Submissions open on the Arms Bill

The Justice Select Committee is calling for public submissions on the Arms Bill. The Arms Bill would repeal and replace the Arms Act 1983, introducing changes to compliance, enforcement and the regulation of firearms. Submissions on the Bill close 16 February 2026.

Changes to electoral laws come into effect

The Electoral Amendment Act 2025 received its third reading on 16 December 2025 and received Royal Assent on 19 December 2025. As of 1 January 2026, all aspects of the new law are now in force. The Amendment Act makes several changes to the Electoral Act 1993, including extending voting disqualifications for prisoners, prohibiting voter enrolment in the 12 days prior to an election, and criminalising the provision of free food, drink or entertainment near a voting place.