Death, physical harm or injury

Physical assault

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Physical assault

Overview

This page explains what physical assault is, what you can do if it happens, and where you can get help.

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What assault means

Assault is when somebody applies force to you on purpose or makes your fear they will.

In New Zealand, this can include:

being hit, punched, kicked or pushed
being touched in a forceful or unwanted way
someone trying to hit you (even if they miss)
someone threatening you in a way that makes you believe you will be harmed.

You don’t need to be injured for something to count as an assault.

If you have been assaulted

You do not have to deal with this on your own. Support is available for you and your whānau on our Finding support and resources page.

You may wish to:

talk to a support service for advice and help
seek medical care, even for minor injuries
keep evidence, such as messages or photos (if it is safe to do so)
report what happened to police.

If you have been physically injured, you may be able to get help through ACC, including treatment, counselling, and financial support.

Financial Support

You do not have to decide everything at once. You can take this step by step.

Reporting an assault

You can report an assault at any time.

Most serious assault offence don’t have a time limit, so police can charge a person even if it happened some time ago.

For less serious offences that are dealt with in the lower courts, the law sets time limits for filing charges. While it’s a good idea to speak with police as soon as you can, you can still come forward even if time has passed.

If police are concerned about your safety, they may take steps to keep you and others safe. They can talk this through with you. You can talk to police about your options without making a formal report.

Police will decide whether to investigate and whether there is enough evidence to lay charges.

Your voice matters. Police will consider your views when they make their final decision.

If charges are laid, the case may go to court, and you may be asked to give evidence(external link).

Free, confidential, advice is available to guide you and your whānau, through police and court processes and keep you safe.

Safety and protection

Victim Impact Statements

You can help the court understand how the assault affected you through a Victim Impact Statement. This is different from giving evidence of the assault itself, it’s about sharing the impact it had on your life.

Victim Impact Statements

To report a crime to visit:

How to report a crime or incident | New Zealand Police(external link)

Types of assault

There are different types of assault, depending on what happened. More serious harm usually leads to more serious charges and penalties.

Common assault – includes pushing, slapping, hitting, or threats causing you fear immediate harm. You don’t have to be injured for this to apply.
Assault with intent to injure – is when someone intends to cause harm, not just make contact or threaten. This is more serious than common assault.
Wounding and grievous bodily harm – are the most serious forms of assault, involving significant or long-term injury.

You don’t need to know the exact legal term to get help.