12858 (2026). Arena Williams to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Written Question

Published date: 24 Apr 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	12858 (2026)
Question asked:	07 Apr 2026
Member asking:	Arena Williams
Portfolio:	Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Minister replying:	Cameron Brewer
Answer received:	20 Apr 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_12858_2026
Document guid:	9721822c-04b2-47d7-9278-f8aee3d96f83

12858 (2026). Arena Williams to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: Does the Minister agree with Juha Saarinen in interest.co.nz that responding to industrial scale-scamming operations from overseas by "blocking suspicious domains and freezing mule accounts could prove little more than plugging leaks in a badly fractured dam", and if so, what additional Government policies or laws is he considering introducing?

Cameron Brewer: I look forward to continuing the work of the Anti-Scam Alliance to strengthen New Zealand’s response to scams. I am currently considering my priorities for the portfolio including in relation to any additional Government policies or laws. Last year, the Government announced a new legal protection, known as a safe harbour, for online service providers that take reasonable, good faith steps to disrupt suspected scams. This change will be included in a forthcoming Fair Trading Amendment Bill.