Crimes Act 1961

Parties to the commission of offences

68: Party to murder outside New Zealand

You could also call this:

"Helping someone commit murder outside New Zealand is a crime that can lead to prison time."

If you help someone commit murder outside New Zealand, you can get in trouble. You can go to prison for up to 14 years if you aid, incite, counsel, or procure someone to do something outside New Zealand that would be murder if it happened in New Zealand.

If you try to get someone to commit murder outside New Zealand, but they do not actually do it, you can still go to prison for up to 10 years.

You have a defence if you can prove that what you did was not against the law in the place where the act was supposed to happen.

This law does not change or affect sections 9 to 11 of the International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000.

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This page was last updated on 4 August 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM328509.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Criminal law

67: Conspiracy between spouses or civil union partners, or

"A married couple or civil union partners can be charged with planning a crime together or with others."

69: Party to any other crime outside New Zealand, or

"You can get in trouble for helping someone do a crime in another country, even if you're in New Zealand."

Part 4Parties to the commission of offences

68Party to murder outside New Zealand

Except as hereinafter provided, every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years who, in New Zealand, aids, incites, counsels, or procures the doing or omission of an act outside New Zealand which, if done or omitted in New Zealand, would be murder.
Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years who, in New Zealand, incites, counsels, or attempts to procure the doing or omission of an act outside New Zealand which, if done or omitted in New Zealand, would be murder, when no such act is in fact done or omitted.
It is a defence to a charge under this section to prove that the doing or omission of the act was not an offence under the law of the place where it was, or was to be, done or omitted.
Nothing in this section limits or affects sections 9 to 11 of the International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000.

Compare

1908 No 32 s 189(b)

Notes

Section 68(4): inserted, on 1 October 2000, by section 181(1) of the International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000 (2000 No 26).