New Zealand's Clean Slate scheme automatically conceals eligible old convictions, so for most everyday purposes you can say you have none. Here's how it works.
This guide is general information, not legal advice about your situation — every case turns on its own facts.
The Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 automatically hides eligible convictions after a clear period. It's automatic — there's no application to make. Once you qualify, your criminal record is concealed for most purposes (for example, most job applications).
You're eligible if you meet all of these: at least 7 years since your last sentence with no convictions in that time; you've never been sentenced to imprisonment (including home detention); you've never been convicted of a specified offence (certain serious sexual offences); you've paid any fine, reparation or costs in full; you were never ordered to be detained in a hospital due to your mental condition; and you've never been indefinitely disqualified from driving.
Clean Slate doesn't apply if you've ever been imprisoned, or for specified offences. It also doesn't override certain checks — for example, some roles (working with children, police, security, court proceedings) can still require full disclosure. It doesn't affect overseas records or visa applications.
A new conviction restarts the 7-year clock. That's one more reason that, if you're facing a charge, keeping your record clean — through diversion, a discharge without conviction, or an acquittal — is worth fighting for.
No. It's automatic. If you meet all the criteria, your eligible convictions are concealed without any application.
No. Having ever been sentenced to imprisonment (including home detention) makes you ineligible, regardless of how long ago it was.
It can. Certain roles — such as working with children, or in police, security or the courts — can require full disclosure that overrides the Clean Slate concealment.
Possibly. Diversion or a discharge without conviction avoids a conviction entirely. If you're charged, get advice early about keeping your record clean.
Every case is different. Call for a confidential, no-obligation discussion.
