The Electoral Commission has a job to do when they think someone has broken the law related to election advertising. If they believe someone has committed an offence, they must tell the New Zealand Police about it. They do this by reporting the facts that made them think an offence was committed.

The Electoral Commission does not have to report something to the Police if they think it is very minor and not important enough to worry about. In this case, they can decide not to tell the Police because it is not in the public's interest.

You can find more information about the law that says the Electoral Commission must report suspected offences by looking at the Electoral (Finance Reform and Advance Voting) Amendment Act 2010, which is the law that created this rule.