Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against the person - Murder, manslaughter, etc

175: Conspiracy to murder

You could also call this:

“Making a plan with someone to kill another person is against the law and can result in jail time.”

If you plan with someone to kill another person, you are breaking the law. This is called conspiracy to murder. It doesn’t matter if the killing is supposed to happen in New Zealand or in another country. If you do this, you could go to jail for up to 10 years.

When we talk about ‘to murder’ in this law, it means causing someone’s death outside of New Zealand in a way that would be called murder if it happened in New Zealand. So, even if the killing happens in another country, you can still be punished for planning it in New Zealand.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM329326.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
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174: Counselling or attempting to procure murder, or

“Encouraging or trying to get someone else to kill a person, even if the killing doesn't happen, is against the law.”

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176: Accessory after the fact to murder, or

“Helping someone who committed murder after they did it is against the law and can get you in big trouble.”

Part 8 Crimes against the person
Murder, manslaughter, etc

175Conspiracy to murder

  1. Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years who conspires or agrees with any person to murder any other person, whether the murder is to take place in New Zealand or elsewhere.

  2. For the purposes of this section, the expression to murder includes to cause the death of another person out of New Zealand in circumstances that would amount to murder if the act were committed in New Zealand.

Compare
  • 1908 No 32 s 189(a)