This member's bill amends the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 to expand eligibility for the clean slate scheme. People who received a custodial sentence of up to 12 months, and people subject to mandatory driving disqualification for repeat offences, would become eligible to have their record concealed after completing a 10-year period without reoffending. It passed its first reading on the voices on 22 July 2026 and has been referred to the Justice Committee.
A member's bill that widens who can qualify for New Zealand's 'clean slate' scheme, which lets people with minor, older convictions have them hidden from most criminal-record checks. It would extend eligibility to people who served a prison sentence of up to 12 months, and to those given a mandatory driving disqualification for repeat offending. Those newly covered would qualify only after 10 years without reoffending.
Introduced by Labour MP Tangi Utikere, the bill updates the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004, which currently shuts out anyone who has been sentenced to prison. Supporters, including the sponsor, say concealing old minor records aids rehabilitation by removing barriers to jobs and housing and reduces reoffending. The proposal has drawn broad cross-party support.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.