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Public Safety (Public Protection Orders) Act 2014

Detention and supervision of persons posing very high risk of imminent serious sexual or violent offending - Management of residents - Monitoring of written communications

46: Written communications not to be withheld if sent by or to certain persons

You could also call this:

"You can send and receive private letters to or from important people like MPs, lawyers, and doctors without them being read or stopped."

Illustration for Public Safety (Public Protection Orders) Act 2014

If you are a resident, you can send and receive written communications to or from certain people without them being checked or withheld. These people include a member of Parliament, a Judge, an Ombudsman, the Privacy Commissioner, and some other important officials, as described in section 45. You can also send written communications to a lawyer, a health professional, or a minister of religion without them being checked.

If you send a written communication to any of these people, it must be sent to them without being checked. The same applies if you receive a written communication from any of these people, it must be given to you without being checked or withheld. This rule applies even if section 45 says something different.

You have the right to communicate with these people in writing, and your communications with them should be private. This means that if you write to a lawyer or a health professional, your letter should be sent to them directly. It also means that if a minister of religion or an Ombudsman writes to you, you should receive their letter without anyone else reading it first.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM4751142.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Police and safetyCrime and justice > Victim supportRights and equality > Privacy
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45: Checking and withholding of written communications in certain cases, or

"Managers can check and stop letters if they think it's not safe for you or others."

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Part 1Detention and supervision of persons posing very high risk of imminent serious sexual or violent offending
Management of residents: Monitoring of written communications

46Written communications not to be withheld if sent by or to certain persons

  1. Despite section 45, a written communication must not be checked or withheld from a resident if it is sent by, or on behalf of, any of the persons described in subsection (3).

  2. Despite section 45, a written communication must be dispatched, without being checked, if it is addressed to any of the persons described in subsection (3).

  3. The persons referred to in subsections (1) and (2) are—

  4. a member of Parliament:
    1. a Judge or an officer of the court, or a member or an officer of another judicial body:
      1. an Ombudsman:
        1. the Privacy Commissioner:
          1. the Health and Disability Commissioner:
            1. a Human Rights Commissioner:
              1. an inspector:
                1. a lawyer:
                  1. a health professional:
                    1. a minister of religion.

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