National Party vows to strip silence right in child murder investigations
National’s justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says the party will amend the Crimes Act to criminalise adults who refuse to speak to police when a child 12 or younger has been killed.
National’s justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith announced plans to modify the Crimes Act so that adults who are present when a child aged 12 or younger is killed must provide information to police, making refusal a punishable offence carrying up to ten years in jail. The move seeks an exemption to the right to silence guaranteed by the Bill of Rights Act 1990, but only in “exceptional circumstances” surrounding child deaths.
Goldsmith pointed to historic cases such as the 2006 murders of 84-day-old twins Chris and Cru Kahui, where police were unable to secure convictions partly because witnesses did not speak. He argued that the right to silence should not protect perpetrators or accomplices in such grave crimes. The party frames the change as part of a broader effort to improve law-and-order and protect community safety. No legislation has been passed yet; the proposal will be debated if National wins the election.
Why it matters
It could force witnesses to assist police in child murder cases, potentially improving investigations and accountability.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report National's proposal to remove the right to silence in child murder cases, but the centrist coverage merely announces the promise, while the right-leaning coverage adds detail and frames the move as a necessary crackdown on silent witnesses.
CENTER
Centrist coverage simply reports National's proposal to remove the right to silence in child murder cases without editorial comment.
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage frames the proposal as a decisive step to strip the silence right in child murder investigations, emphasizing the need to prevent perpetrators and citing past cases.
The right emphasises
- Adults present at child deaths could face up to ten years in jail for refusing to speak
- Reference to historic 2006 murders of twins Chris and Cru Kahui
- Argument that the right to silence should not protect perpetrators or accomplices
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