As a defence lawyer, I have concerns with the wording to redraw NZ sexual consent laws - Anoushka Bloem

New Zealand's Parliament is poised to amend its sexual consent laws, a move that has garnered rare political consensus among the National, Labour, and Green parties. However, criminal defence lawyer Anoushka Bloem, with over two decades of experience, has voiced concerns about the specific wording of the proposed changes.

“

Parliament is about to rewrite one of the most intimate and consequential parts of our criminal law: the law of sexual consent.

Bloem, based in Auckland, highlighted that while consensus on criminal justice reform is uncommon, it should not overshadow careful consideration of the intimate and consequential aspects of sexual consent law. The proposed amendments are set to rewrite a significant portion of the country's criminal code related to sexual consent.

“

National, Labour and the Greens all agree New Zealand’s consent laws should change. This is a rare moment of political consensus on criminal justice.

The article, published in the NZ Herald, frames Bloem's opinion as a critical voice amidst broad political agreement, suggesting that the details of the legal rewrite warrant close scrutiny despite the apparent unity among major political parties.

“

But consensus should never