Summary Offences Act 1981

Offences against public order

6: Associating with convicted thieves

You could also call this:

"Hanging out with people who have been in trouble for theft can get you in trouble too"

Illustration for Summary Offences Act 1981

You can get in trouble if you often hang out with someone who has been convicted of theft. This can happen if it seems like you might commit a crime together. You could go to prison for up to 3 months or pay a fine of up to $2,000. You will only get in trouble if a police officer has warned you at least three times to stop hanging out with the convicted thief. The police officer must think that you hanging out with the thief might lead to a crime. A convicted thief is someone who has been found guilty of a crime involving dishonesty at least three times. You can still get in trouble if you are a convicted thief and you hang out with another convicted thief.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM53510.

This page was last updated on 11 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Crime and justice > Police and safetyCrime and justice > Criminal law

5A: Disorderly assembly, or

"Being part of a group that scares others with violent or damaging behaviour in a public place"

6A: Associating with violent offenders, or

"Staying Away from People Who Have Been Violent"

6Associating with convicted thieves

Every person is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding $2,000 who habitually associates with a convicted thief in circumstances from which it can reasonably be inferred that the association is likely to lead to the commission of a crime involving dishonesty by that person or any such thief.
No charging document for an offence against this section may be filed unless the defendant has been warned by any constable on at least 3 separate occasions that his or her continued association with the convicted thief may lead to a charge being brought against him or her under this section.
To avoid any doubt, if a person who is a convicted thief habitually associates with another convicted thief in the circumstances specified in subsection (1), this section does not prevent one or both of those persons from being charged with an offence under this section.
In this section convicted thief means a person who has been convicted on at least 3 separate occasions of a crime involving dishonesty.

Compare

1927 No 35 s 49(d)
1967 No 154 s 2(1)

Notes

Section 6(1): amended, on 1 January 1998, by section 7 of the Summary Offences Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 97).
Section 6(2): replaced, on 1 July 2013, by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).
Section 6(2A): inserted, on 1 January 1998, by section 3 of the Summary Offences Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 97).