Crimes (Impeding Major Bridges, Tunnels, and Roads) Amendment Bill

Crimes (Impeding Major Bridges, Tunnels, and Roads) Amendment Bill EXPLANATORY NOTE GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT The policy objective of this Bill is to ensure commuters, businesses, and communities maintain their rightful access to roads, bridges, and tunnels. There should be a specific offence to deter disruption or obstruction of our major infrastructure and to better enable Police to respond to such disruption or obstruction where it occurs. The Bill meets these objectives by creating a new offence for damaging or obstructing a major road, tunnel, or bridge. CLAUSE BY CLAUSE ANALYSIS Clause 1 is the Title clause. Clause 2 is the commencement clause and provides for this Bill to come into force on the day after the date of Royal assent. Clause 3 identifies the Crimes Act 1961 as the Act amended by this Bill. Clause 4 inserts a new section 145A into the Crimes Act 1961. The new section sets out a new offence. A person commits the offence if the person, without reasonable excuse, enters, remains on, climbs, jumps from, or otherwise trespasses on a major bridge, tunnel, or road, and, in doing so, causes damage to the bridge, tunnel, or road, or seriously disrupts or obstructs vehicles or pedestrians attempting to use the bridge, tunnel, or road. In the new section, a major bridge, tunnel, or road is a State highway or motorway and any bridge, tunnel or road prescribed in regulations. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for 2 years, a fine of $20,000, or both. Clause 5 amends section 410 of the Act, which is the regulation-making power, to provide for regulations prescribing major bridges, tunnels, and roads. The Parliament of New Zealand enacts as follows: 1 Title This Act is the Crimes (Impeding Major Bridges, Tunnels, and Roads) Amendment Act 2026 . 2 Commencement This Act comes into force on the day after the date of Royal assent. 3 Principal Act This Act amends the Crimes Act 1961. 4 New section 145A inserted (Damage, disruption, or obstruction of major bridges, tunnels, and roads) After section 145, insert: 145A Damage, disruption, or obstruction of major bridges, tunnels, and roads 1 A person commits an offence if— a the person, without reasonable excuse, enters, remains on, climbs, jumps from, or otherwise trespasses on any part of a major bridge, tunnel, or road; and b the conduct described in paragraph (a) — i causes damage to the bridge, tunnel, or road; or ii seriously disrupts or obstructs vehicles or pedestrians attempting to use the bridge, tunnel, or road. 2 Without limiting subsection (1)(b) , a person seriously disrupts or obstructs vehicles or pedestrians attempting to use the bridge, tunnel, or road if, as a result of the person’s conduct, the bridge, tunnel or road (or any part of the bridge, tunnel, or road) is closed or vehicles or pedestrians are redirected. 3 A person who commits an offence under this section is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, a fine not exceeding $20,000, or both. 4 In this section,— major bridge, tunnel, or road means— a a State highway or a motorway (as those terms are defined in section 2(1) of the Government Roading Powers Act 1989): b any bridge, tunnel or road prescribed in regulations made under section 410 vehicle includes a train. 5 Section 410 amended (Regulations) After section 410(2)(d), insert: da prescribing a major bridge, tunnel, or road for the purpose of section 145A : After section 410(3), insert: 4 Regulations under section 410(2)(da) may be made only on the recommendation of the Minister (as defined in section 2(1) of the Government Roading Powers Act 1989).