MEDIA RELEASE: High Court challenge to Police and Customs strip-search policies

October 14th 2026

Speak Up for Women spokeswoman Suzanne Levy has commenced proceedings in the Wellington High Court challenging the legality of New Zealand Police and Customs policies governing who may conduct strip searches.

The proceedings seek declarations concerning the interpretation of the Search and Surveillance Act 2012, which contains requirements relating to the sex of officers conducting searches.

Speak Up for Women argues that Police and Customs guidelines unlawfully substitute gender identity and gender for biological sex when determining who must conduct a strip search.

"Strip searches are among the most intrusive powers exercised by the state. Parliament has established safeguards governing who can carry them out, and those safeguards must be applied according to the law," Levy says.

"Women should be able to rely on the protections Parliament has provided. We do not believe government agencies have the authority to redefine those protections through operational policies."

Speak Up for Women raised its concerns with Police and Customs in March 2025. Despite correspondence with both agencies and a subsequent review of the Customs guidelines, the disputed policies remain in place.

"We raised our concerns with Police and Customs in March last year. Their responses did not resolve the fundamental question of whether their policies comply with the law, so we have decided to ask the High Court to determine the matter," Levy says.

The proceedings name the Attorney General as the respondent on behalf of New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Customs Service.

On 12 October 2026, Justice Grau directed that the proceedings also be served on the Human Rights Commission. Both have now accepted service.

ENDS

About Speak Up for Women  

Our mission is to advocate for the sex-based rights of women and girls, with a primary focus of bringing attention to the eroding of women’s and girls' rights and language.Our vision is for women and girls to maintain sex-based services, spaces and opportunities in New Zealand We base our principles on the right, in law and public policy, of adult human females to name, organise and speak for ourselves. Our supporters include young women, mothers and grandmothers, lesbians and heterosexuals, and women working in a wide range of occupations. We also have many male supporters including fathers, brothers and grandfathers. The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and receives no public funds or funds from external organisations. We are not affiliated to any political party or religious organisation.