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Summary Offences Act 1981

Offences against persons or property

13B: Possession of high-power laser pointers

You could also call this:

"Having a high-power laser pointer in a public place without a good reason is against the law"

Illustration for Summary Offences Act 1981

You can get in trouble if you have a high-power laser pointer in a public place without a good reason. You could go to prison for up to 3 months or pay a fine of up to $2,000. The court can also take away your high-power laser pointer. A high-power laser pointer is a device that is like a normal laser pointer, but is battery operated and strong. It is designed to be held in your hand and sends out a strong beam of light. The Director-General of Health decides what kind of devices are high-power laser pointers. If you are found guilty of having a high-power laser pointer in a public place, the court can order it to be forfeited to the Crown, as stated in the Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Act 2014. This means the device will be taken away from you. You will not be able to get it back.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6246401.

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Topics:
Crime and justice > Police and safetyHealth and wellbeing > Public health
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13BPossession of high-power laser pointers

  1. Every person is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding $2,000 who, in any public place, without reasonable excuse, has any high-power laser pointer in his or her possession.

  2. On convicting any person of an offence against subsection (1), the court may order that the high-power laser pointer be forfeited to the Crown.

  3. In this section, high-power laser pointer means a device that,—

  4. in the Director-General of Health's opinion, is of the kind commonly known as a laser pointer; and
    1. is battery operated; and
      1. is designed or intended to be operated while held in the hand; and
        1. produces a coherent beam of optical radiation of low divergence; and
          1. has a power output of greater than 1 milliwatt.

            Notes
            • Section 13B: inserted, on , by section 4 of the Summary Offences (Possession of High-power Laser Pointers) Amendment Act 2014 (2014 No 49).