This Government bill amends the Serious Fraud Office Act 1990 so the SFO can more effectively investigate and prosecute serious or complex fraud. It updates search warrant provisions and enables the courts to apply the modern Evidence Act 2006 test to decide the admissibility of unlawfully obtained evidence, weighing factors such as the quality of the evidence, the seriousness of the offence, and whether urgency or safety was a factor. The bill is before Parliament, having passed its first reading on the voices on 30 April 2026.
This bill amends the Serious Fraud Office Act 1990 so the SFO can more effectively investigate and prosecute serious or complex fraud. It updates the SFO's search-warrant provisions and enables courts to apply the modern Evidence Act 2006 test when deciding whether unlawfully obtained evidence is admissible, weighing factors such as the quality of the evidence, the seriousness of the offence, and whether urgency or safety was involved.
Supporters argue that modernising the SFO's powers and aligning its evidence rules with the general law help it keep pace with sophisticated fraud. Others may scrutinise the search and evidence changes for their effect on individual rights and privacy, and look at the safeguards that accompany the expanded powers.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.