If a person pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, an offence, usually they are convicted of that offence. Be sure to tick the box for your full record of convictions. a recent pattern of other fines or infringements in New Zealand or anywhere else. There are employers in New Zealand who will give people with a criminal record a chance. Convictions. You might not get citizenship if you have: charges pending against you in any country; been convicted of a crime in the last 3 years; means a conviction entered by a court in New Zealand for an offence, including a conviction for a traffic offence; and (b) does not include a conviction entered by the Court Martial of New Zealand or a disciplinary officer under the Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971 or resulting from an appeal from a decision under that Act. Employers can’t verify a person’s criminal conviction history without their consent. Whether you indicate you have had convictions on an application form depends on whether you are eligible to be “clean slated” under the Criminal Records (Clean Slate ) Act 2004. Find information on prosecutions and convictions, types of sentences, and the number of people serving prison or community sentences. You should use the “Priv/F1 – Request by Individual” form found on the Ministry of Justice website and follow the instructions listed there. Immigration New Zealand processes the liability on receipt of the conviction. Demerit points . The administration of criminal records is the responsibility of the New Zealand Ministry of Justice. When you go through the adult court process, if you’re found guilty, you’ll get a conviction. The NZ Police Vetting Service provides: In fact, it’s common practice to advise an offender to plead guilty in order to get diversion. Criminal conviction histories do not publish information on convictions that are covered under the clean slate rules. However, a judge still has discretion not to convict that person. If you’ve been in prison or have a criminal conviction, you may be looking for help to find a new job. Conviction. If you have historic convictions but currently have the benefit of the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 then you will lose that benefit and will not be able to conceal the old or new convictions under that legislation. Since 2016, over 2,000 people with criminal convictions have found jobs. If you accumulate 100 or more demerit points in any two-year period, your licence can be suspended for three months. Police vetting. Certain driving offences incur demerit points. Because of this, many duty solicitors and lawyers aren’t aware of the consequences of a guilty plea. Crimes, investigations and other offences. New Zealand Police. This is granting a discharge without conviction. This section explains what a conviction is and the difficulties you may face after being convicted. For more information visit the Ministry of Justice website (external link). The juncture of a criminal proceeding during whi If you are a New Zealand citizen with criminal convictions, no matter how long ago your convictions were, or whether they have been removed from government records, you are required to obtain written confirmation from DIBP (Department of Immigration and Border Protection) before you travel to Australia. The outcome of a criminal prosecution which concludes in a judgment that the defendant is guilty of the crime charged. If a conviction is entered on those types of offences you will have a criminal record. Discharge without conviction: An option not widely understood By Judge Lance Rowe.