The purpose of this Act is to help make sure people follow the law and to investigate and prosecute offences in a way that respects human rights. You can think of human rights like a set of rules that make sure everyone is treated fairly. This Act aims to achieve this by modernising the law of search, seizure, and surveillance to take into account new technologies.

This Act also provides rules that consider the importance of rights and entitlements affirmed in other laws, such as the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Privacy Act 2020, and the Evidence Act 2006. These laws are like guidelines that help keep you and your information safe.

The Act also wants to make sure that the tools used to investigate crimes are effective and adequate for law enforcement needs, which means they have the right resources to do their job. This is so they can do their job properly and keep you and your community safe.