Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against the person - Murder, manslaughter, etc

179: Aiding and abetting suicide

You could also call this:

“Helping or encouraging someone to end their own life is against the law and can be punished.”

If you encourage, advise, or help someone to end their own life, you could go to prison for up to 14 years. This applies if the person tries to or actually does end their life because of what you said or did.

Even if the person doesn’t try to end their life after you encouraged or advised them to do so, you’re still breaking the law. In this case, you could go to prison for up to 3 years.

It’s important to know that these rules are linked to section 37 of the End of Life Choice Act 2019. This means there might be some exceptions to these rules in certain situations.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM329347.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
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“A mother who kills her young child while mentally unwell due to childbirth can be charged with infanticide instead of murder.”

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180: Suicide pact, or

“When people agree to die together, it's not called murder if someone survives.”

Part 8 Crimes against the person
Murder, manslaughter, etc

179Aiding and abetting suicide

  1. Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years who—

  2. incites, counsels, or procures any person to commit suicide, if that person commits or attempts to commit suicide in consequence thereof; or
    1. aids or abets any person in the commission of suicide.

      1. A person commits an offence who incites, counsels, or procures another person to commit suicide, even if that other person does not commit or attempt to commit suicide in consequence of that conduct.

      2. A person who commits an offence against subsection (2) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years.

      3. This section is subject to section 37 of the End of Life Choice Act 2019.

      Compare
      • 1908 No 32 s 192
      Notes
      • Section 179(2): inserted, on , by section 30 of the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 (2015 No 63).
      • Section 179(3): inserted, on , by section 30 of the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 (2015 No 63).
      • Section 179(4): inserted, on , by section 41 of the End of Life Choice Act 2019 (2019 No 67).