Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against the person - Assaults and injuries to the person

194: Assault on a child, or by a male on a female

You could also call this:

“It's against the law to hurt a child or for a man to hurt a woman.”

This law says that if you hurt a child who is younger than 14 years old, you can go to prison for up to 2 years. It also says that if you are a man and you hurt a woman, you can go to prison for up to 2 years. The law calls this kind of hurting someone ‘assault’. This means that it’s against the law to hurt children or for men to hurt women, and there are serious consequences if you do.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM329383.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
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193: Assault with intent to injure, or

“Hurting someone on purpose is against the law and can lead to jail time.”

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194A: Assault on person in family relationship, or

“Hurting someone you're close to or used to be close to is against the law.”

Part 8 Crimes against the person
Assaults and injuries to the person

194Assault on a child, or by a male on a female

  1. Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years who—

  2. assaults any child under the age of 14 years; or
    1. being a male, assaults any female.

      Compare
      • 1952 No 43 s 5