Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against public order - Piracy

93: Piratical acts

You could also call this:

"Doing pirate-like things, like robbery or hostility, on a New Zealand ship or plane is against the law"

You commit a piratical act if you do certain things. You can do these things in New Zealand or outside New Zealand if you are a New Zealand citizen or live in New Zealand. If you pretend to have permission from another country or person to commit an act of hostility or robbery, that is a piratical act. You also commit a piratical act if you enter a New Zealand ship and throw goods overboard or destroy them.

You commit a piratical act on a New Zealand ship if you turn against your crew and run away with the ship or goods, or if you give the ship or goods to pirates. You also commit a piratical act if you advise someone to yield up a ship or goods to pirates, or if you try to make them turn pirate. If you attack the person in charge of the ship to stop them defending it, or if you imprison them, that is also a piratical act.

These rules also apply to aircraft, not just ships. If something in these rules mentions the master or commander of a ship, it means the pilot of an aircraft.

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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=DLM328573.

Topics:

Crime and justice > Criminal law

92: Piracy, or

"Doing pirate-like crimes, like hijacking a ship or plane, is against the law and can lead to big trouble"

94: Punishment of piratical acts, or

"Punishment for doing pirate-like crimes, like hurting people or stealing"

Part 5Crimes against public order
Piracy

93Piratical acts

Every one commits a piratical act who—
within New Zealand, or, being a New Zealand citizen or a person ordinarily resident in New Zealand, outside New Zealand, under pretence of any commission from any State other than New Zealand (whether or not that State is at war with New Zealand) or under pretence of authority from any person whatever, commits an act of hostility or robbery:
within or outside New Zealand, enters into any New Zealand ship and throws overboard or destroys any goods on board the ship:
within or outside New Zealand, on board any New Zealand ship—
1. turns enemy or rebel and piratically runs away with the ship or any boat, weapons, ammunition, or goods; or
2. voluntarily yields up the ship or any boat, weapons, ammunition, or goods to any pirate; or
3. counsels or procures any person to yield up or run away with any ship, goods, or merchandise, or to turn pirate or go over to pirates; or
4. assaults the master or commander of any ship in order to prevent him or her from fighting in defence of his or her ship and goods; or
5. imprisons or restrains the master or commander of any ship; or
6. makes or endeavours to make a revolt in the ship.

Subsection (1) shall extend and apply to aircraft as it applies to ships; and for the purposes of this subsection any reference in subsection (1) to the master or commander of any ship shall be read as a reference to the pilot in command of an aircraft.

Compare

1908 No 32 s 122