‘We’ve called it what it is’: Jazz Thornton reacts to NZ's stalking law change

Kiwi mental health activist and author Jazz Thornton has reacted to the first morning New Zealanders have woken up to the fact that stalking is officially an illegal offence in Aotearoa.

Having previously been extremely open about her own experience with stalking and advocating for the acts and behaviours to be considered a crime, Jazz shared her relief online.

“Today was the very first day New Zealanders woke up in a country where stalking is illegal,” she began.

“After so much advocacy from so many people, the Government and Tamatha Paul… we’ve called it what it is… It’s a crime.”

In a follow-up post, Thornton said: “I will never forget standing in my kitchen with the police after my stalker flew 18,000km to find me and being told that, in our country, stalking is not illegal.”

I will never forget the fear, the panic, the confusion and the guilt of realising that I had put those closest to me in danger.

“I have since met so many people who have shared harrowing stories that should have never been written in the first place. People suffer, often in silence for years, being told there is nothing that can be done. In some tragic cases, our lack of laws has also cost people their lives.”

Jazz explained that stalking is often misunderstood - something many people see as exaggerated in TV shows and movies - but the reality can be “far more invasive”.

It seeps into every part of your life. It isolates you. It shifts how you move through the world, how you think, how you trust.

“For years, stalkers have controlled the narrative. They have dictated how far things go, how bad things get, and when anyone steps in,” she added. “But as of today, May 26, 2026, we have taken the pen back, and we are writing a different story.”

Under the new law, stalking is defined as “a pattern of behaviour which the offender knew was likely to cause the victim fear or distress”.

Within this framework, an offence has been committed if two acts occur within a two-year period, including behaviours such as:

• Watching, following, loitering near, or obstructing a person

• Recording or tracking someone

• Contacting or communicating with a person

• Damaging, devaluing, moving, entering, or interfering with taonga or property (including pets) that a person has an interest in

• Damaging or undermining a person’s reputation, opportunities, or relationships

• Publishing statements or material relating to a person, or pretending to be that person — intended to cover behaviours such as doxxing, or collating and publishing private identifying information about someone

• Acting in any way that would cause fear or distress to a reasonable person

With stalking now officially a criminal offence, these acts and behaviours can carry a punishment of up to five years behind bars.

Today marks a huge step forward - and a sigh of relief for many around the motu.