Police Receive 363 Russian Sanctions Reports, Zero Breaches Confirmed
New Zealand Police have received 43 public reports and around 320 submissions from duty holders under the Russia Sanctions Act, with only nine cases advancing to investigation and no confirmed breaches identified.
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New Zealand Police have received 43 public reports and around 320 submissions from duty holders under the Russia Sanctions Act, with only nine cases advancing to investigation and no confirmed breaches identified.
Reports Outnumber Investigations
New Zealand Police received 43 reports from members of the public via the dedicated Russia Sanctions 105 line since the Russia Sanctions Act came into force in March 2022. Approximately 320 further reports arrived from the roughly 5,000 duty holders, primarily banks, lawyers and real estate agents required to screen for sanctions risks.
All reports received high-priority triage from the New Zealand Financial Intelligence Unit. Public submissions peaked at 12 in 2022 and have since fallen. Duty-holder filings have remained steadier, reflecting ongoing compliance obligations.
Limited Enforcement Outcomes
Of the 43 public reports, police advanced five to formal investigation — three in 2022 and two in 2025. None produced evidence of a sanctions breach, and no further action followed. A small number were referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for noting.
Duty-holder reports led to four investigations and monitoring in a couple of additional cases. Police referred two company reports to Customs for possible trade-based money laundering inquiries.
AI illustration of a New Zealand financial compliance office, representing the screening and reporting obligations placed on roughly 5,000 duty holders under the Russia Sanctions Act 2022.
As of May 2026 the New Zealand sanctions list stood at 1,872 targets, including 1,361 individuals, according to OpenSanctions data. Recent tranches added 11 entities and 9 people in May 2026 and 100 vessels plus others in February 2026, per Global Sanctions records. The regime also includes a 35 percent tariff on Russian-origin goods and restrictions on maritime services.
The 5,000 duty holders must screen clients and transactions against the MFAT register and file suspicions via the goAML portal within three working days. This adds ongoing IT, training and legal costs for banks and professional firms already subject to anti-money-laundering rules.
Russian Sanctions Reports and Investigations
Public reports show low conversion to investigation; duty-holder volume is higher but outcomes remain limited.
Source: New Zealand Police statements and MFAT data
MFAT Review Recommends Civil Penalties
MFAT's 2025 statutory review of the Russia Sanctions Act found criminal enforcement faces evidentiary and diplomatic hurdles. It recommended retaining current reporting thresholds while introducing proportionate civil pecuniary penalties for non-reporting and improving automated data sharing between agencies.
New Zealand's 2021 FATF Mutual Evaluation Report recorded no assets frozen under the country's targeted financial sanctions regimes as at that date, predating the full Russia sanctions expansion. The low number of confirmed breaches despite hundreds of reports and thousands of obligated entities highlights the compliance burden placed on the private sector with limited enforcement returns.
Forward Outlook
The sanctions list continues to grow in step with Five Eyes and G7 partners. Duty holders face sustained screening obligations that intersect with existing AML/CFT frameworks. The 2025 review proposals would add civil penalties on top of the current criminal regime, increasing regulatory load on financial and professional services firms without addressing the low detection rate observed so far.
