Is blasphemy illegal in New Zealand?
No blasphemy law
The crime of blasphemous libel was repealed and the repeal came into force in 2019.
New Zealand is one of 12 countries classified “No blasphemy law” for blasphemy — 22% of the 54 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Blasphemy law
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Tuvalu
- Criminal offense Tuvalu criminalizes wounding religious feelings with a penalty of one year imprisonment.
- Australia
- Varies by region Blasphemy is a common law offence in some states but abolished in others.
- Indonesia
- Criminal offense Blasphemy is a criminal offense under Article 156(a) punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.
- Malaysia
- Criminal offense Malaysia criminalizes blasphemy through the Penal Code and state Sharia courts.
- Philippines
- Criminal offense The Philippines criminalizes offending religious feelings with imprisonment penalties under the Revised Penal Code.
- Thailand
- Criminal offense Thailand's penal code and Sangha Act criminalize insults to religion with imprisonment penalties.
Other laws in New Zealand
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- Banned
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.