Submission on the Trespass (Specified Retail Premises and Other Matters) Amendment Bill

Mana Mokopuna opposes the Trespass Amendment Bill 2026 (the Bill) because it is misaligned with Aotearoa New Zealand’s children’s rights duties and obligations, and it will not be an effective response to retail offending.

As the Bill’s own Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) acknowledges, it poses particular risks to mokopuna rights, including in relation to “social participation and access to essential public and private services for a significant period of childhood.” It is also inconsistent with the special protections New Zealand has agreed to provide for mokopuna in the criminal justice system as a State Party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and with our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.