WELLINGTON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand intensified the crackdown on cybercrime by passing a legislation's first reading on Tuesday, as 11 percent of Kiwis were victims of fraud and cybercrime in 2023, causing significant financial harm and emotional distress, official statistics show.

By joining the Budapest Convention, also known as the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, New Zealand is signaling to other like-minded countries that it takes cybercrime seriously and is prepared to do its part to eliminate it, said Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith.

The Budapest Convention is the only binding international treaty on cybercrime, aligning member countries' laws and making it easier for them to cooperate on criminal investigations, Goldsmith said.

The bill contains provisions to ensure New Zealand's domestic laws meet the requirements of the convention, which include enabling law enforcement agencies to require companies to preserve records that could be evidence of offending.

Amendments to the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act will enhance New Zealand's ability to seek assistance from foreign countries for criminal investigations, and provide assistance in return.

"It will help our law enforcement agencies to protect New Zealanders by providing the tools they need to detect, investigate, and prosecute criminal offending, even when it happens online," Goldsmith said. Enditem

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