The Department of Internal Affairs

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua

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Online child exploitation reports linked to NZ up 29%


2 June 2026

The Department of Internal Affairs has released its annual Digital Child Exploitation Transparency Report, providing insights into New Zealand’s ongoing efforts to combat online child exploitation and abuse.

The report highlights the work of the Department’s Digital Child Exploitation Team in identifying individuals accessing illegal child sexual exploitation material, disrupting offending, and preventing harm to children.

In 2025, New Zealand enforcement agencies received more than 20,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation and abuse from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This represents a 29 percent increase from 2024, when 16,223 reports were linked to New Zealand.

In 2025, 151 of the NCMEC reports received were identified as involving suspected AI-generated child sexual exploitation material, an increase from 21 in 2024.

“The sharp rise in suspected AI-generated child sexual exploitation material is of significant concern. While it may be artificially created, the harm it drives is real,” says Jared Mullen, General Manager Digital Safety and Identity Investigations.

“AI-Generated child sexual exploitation material can normalise abusive behaviour and increase demand. This report is crucial to exposing the scale of online child exploitation.”

The report also highlights DCET’s operational activity in 2025. This resulted in:

  • 52 search warrants executed
  • 18 offenders successfully prosecuted, a 32 percent increase since 2024
  • 24 New Zealand children safeguarded from further risk of harm through joint efforts with partner agencies
  • 12 reports of concern made to New Zealand child welfare and protection agencies
  • 697,579 blocked attempts to access websites known to host child sexual exploitation and abuse material.

“Making this information public ensures New Zealanders understand the seriousness of this offending and the action underway to detect it and protect children,” Jared Mullen says.

Tim Houston, Manager Digital Child Exploitation Team says collaboration is critical to this work.

“Protecting children from exploitation takes a collective effort,” he says.

“We work closely with New Zealand Police, New Zealand Customs Service, Oranga Tamariki, and international partners to identify offenders and keep children safe.

“Recent operations highlight the impact of this collaboration, including Operation Ryan in 2025, which targeted a network of high-risk offenders involved in sharing child sexual abuse material and discussing harm against children,” Tim Houston says.

To view the full report, visit: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Preventing-Online-Child-Sexual-Exploitation-Transparency-Reports

ENDS

Support and Resources
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to engage with their tamariki about safe online practices. Guidance on protecting children online is available at KeepItRealOnline.govt.nz.
If you have concerns about potential online harm or wish to report a crime, contact the Digital Child Exploitation Team at DIA. For situations where abuse is occurring or a child is in immediate danger, contact the Police at 111.

If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s sexual behaviour, please reach out for support:  Notes for media:
DIA uses the term child sexual abuse imagery (PDF, 625KB). The term child pornography downplays the harm of child sexual abuse

For more information on the role of the Digital Child Exploitation Team, what is online child sexual exploitation and how to report it visit https://www.dia.govt.nz/Preventing-Online-Child-Sexual-Exploitation

Media Contact:
Media Desk - Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs
Mobile: +64 27 535 8639
Email: media@dia.govt.nz