Bryan Ward - Employment, Criminal Checks and Where To Go!

Criminal records may be released to you as a third party, but only with the written permission of the person you wish to employ. That person will need to complete a form with the Ministry of Justice.

Police provide a vetting service for approved organisations that provide care to children, older people and vulnerable members of society in New Zealand. Organisations wanting to be approved as users of the police vetting service can see Vetting.


I'm applying for a job. How serious does a conviction have to be before I declare it on my application form?
Whether you indicate you have had convictions on an application form depends on whether you are eligible to be “clean slated” under the Criminal Records (Clean Slate ) Act 2004. This Act allows you to conceal your convictions if you meet all of the following conditions:

• No convictions within the last seven years
• Never been sentenced to a custodial sentence e.g. imprisonment
• Corrective Training, borstal
• Never been ordered by a Court following a criminal case to be detained in a hospital due to your mental condition, instead of being sentenced
• Not been convicted of a “specified offence” (e.g. sexual offending against children and young people or the mentally impaired)
• Paid in full any fine, reparation, or costs ordered by the Court in a criminal case
• Never been indefinitely disqualified from driving.

For more information visit the Ministry of Justice website’s section about criminal records.


How do I get a 'police clearance certificate' or criminal record?
If you are convicted of a crime, a criminal record is created. This is the New Zealand equivalent of a ‘police clearance certificate’, ‘police record’, ‘police file’, ‘police check’ or ‘criminal check’. If you are asked for any of these, a copy of your criminal record from the Ministry of Justice should meet the requirements. If you have no convictions, you will receive a letter stating that is the case.

To apply, visit the Ministry of Justice website’s section on criminal records.

Police provide approved organisations with a vetting service for potential employees or volunteers which is also sometimes called a ‘police clearance’ or a ‘police check’. Find out about Police vetting.