NZ Policing Bill raises MPs alarm over expanded biometric powers

New Zealand’s Policing Amendment Bill takes in expanded biometric collection.

The country’s justice select committee has recommended the bill be passed, but its report displays deep unease about how far police powers would stretch and how biometric surveillance could expand without sufficient safeguards.

The committee proposes extra privacy constraints, yet police warned that adding too many protections would delay expected intelligence‑gathering benefits for up to two years. They argued that new regulations would impose “complex, expensive, and resource‑intensive” IT and operational burdens, reports RNZ.

Police believe the bill is essential to restore intelligence‑collection powers they say were lost in recent court rulings. But opponents including Labour, the Greens and the Privacy Commissioner claim it grants new powers and risks normalizing biometric overreach.

Submitters raised concerns that the bill would allow police to collect visual images, audio and biometric identifiers in public spaces in ways that could sidestep the Search and Surveillance Act. The committee recommended clarifying that police remain fully subject to the Privacy Act, and that officers cannot record people in situations where a warrant for a surveillance device would normally be required.

The Greens’ dissent was more pronounced, as the party claims the bill “enables over‑surveillance of ordinary people by allowing the police to shirk privacy rights and common law regarding collecting photographs, audio, and biometric data of civilians.”

Labour also questioned whether police have the technology to securely handle, retain and delete the expanded biometric information the bill would authorize. Police have struggled for years to modernize image‑collection systems and still lack a full digital evidence management platform.

Because of these concerns, the committee recommended delaying implementation by six months to give police time to “test, update, and refine” guidance, upgrade IT systems and train staff. The pause is also meant to compensate for the lack of public, Māori and youth consultation before the bill was introduced.

The committee rejected calls from the Privacy Commissioner for stronger statutory safeguards, including protections for children and young people. Police argued there was “no compelling reason” for additional regulations, saying they would create legal uncertainty and delay the bill’s biometric‑collection provisions.

Instead, the committee recommended a statutory review three years after commencement, involving the Privacy Commissioner, the Independent Police Conduct Authority and the Ministry of Justice. The debate now centers on whether the bill’s biometric powers are a necessary modernization or reaches too far. New Zealanders’ privacy fears have risen over AI, biometric technology, data use and children’s online safety. New Zealand’s Biometric Processing Privacy Code came into effect in November 2025.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometrics  |  data collection  |  law enforcement  |  legislation  |  New Zealand