Is flag burning illegal in New Zealand?
Criminal offense
Destroying the national flag with intent to dishonor is a criminal offense.
New Zealand is one of 55 countries classified “Criminal offense” for flag desecration — 82% of the 67 with data. (Also searched as flag burning.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Flag desecration
- 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
- Samoa
- Criminal offense Desecrating the national flag is a criminal offense punishable by fine or imprisonment.
- Indonesia
- Criminal offense Desecrating the Indonesian national flag is prohibited by law and punishable by imprisonment or fines.
- Malaysia
- Criminal offense Disrespecting the national flag can be prosecuted under existing penal and sedition laws.
- Philippines
- Criminal offense Desecrating the flag is a prohibited act punishable by fine or imprisonment under the Flag and Heraldic Code.
- Singapore
- Criminal offense Desecrating the national flag is illegal under the National Symbols Act and Regulations.
- Chile
- Criminal offense Public desecration of the national flag is a crime in Chile.
Other laws in New Zealand
- Blasphemy Laws
- No blasphemy law
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Conversion Therapy
- Banned
Every law in New Zealand → · Where is burning the flag illegal? →
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.