Summarised by Centrist
Protesting outside someone’s home will soon be illegal, with Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith introducing legislation that could see demonstrators fined up to $2000 or jailed for three months if they target private residences.
The law will apply broadly to all homes but is a direct response to rising protests aimed at public figures, including MPs, judges, and officials.
Goldsmith claimed the measure strikes a balance between the right to protest and the right to “peace and privacy” in one’s home.
“Everyone in New Zealand, and their families, should be able to expect peace and privacy in their own home, no matter what their daytime job is,” Goldsmith said. He insisted the law won’t erode free speech and that such rights are always subject to “reasonable limitations.”
Critics, however, may view the move as a creeping expansion of state protection for the political class under the guise of civility.
The law targets protests based on factors like time of day, noise, or “actions,” raising concerns about enforcement discretion.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins gave a guarded endorsement. “We share the concern of the government that protest, where it’s become very, very personalised, targeting individuals and their families, is damaging.”
Hipkins said he hadn’t personally been targeted at his home, though he had encountered protest in “other private spaces.”
