Electronic monitoring: Important information for family, whānau and occupants

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Last updated: 26 Feb 2026

For all enquiries regarding Electronically Monitored Bail, please contact 0800 EM BAIL (362 245).

For all enquiries regarding Electronically Monitored Bail, please contact the EM Team on 0800 EM BAIL (362 245) or email emteamadmin@corrections.govt.nz

Electronic monitoring as a condition of bail (EM Bail) is granted to suitable defendants who would otherwise be remanded in custody, in prison, while awaiting a court hearing.

A person on EM Bail wears an electronic monitoring tracker and lives at an address approved by the Court.

About Electronic Monitoring

The Court can impose electronic monitoring as part of the defendant bail conditions. This requires a tracker to be worn 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, and to have electronic monitoring equipment installed at the approved address.

Before a defendant can be released to an address, a Probation Officer or Bail Support Officer will carry out a suitability check with regards to both the proposed address and other occupants. Part of that process requires them to talk to all relevant occupants at the address to ensure they have consented to the defendant remaining at the address while on EM Bail.

Relevant occupants

A relevant occupant is any person, 16 years of age and over, who is going to be living at the same address as the defendant if they are granted electronically monitored bail.

The relevant occupant includes anyone who is thinking about moving in or who moves into the address after the defendant has been granted electronically monitored bail.

People you will see often

Probation officer or Bail Support Officer:

The person from Corrections who completes any checks with the family, whanau and occupants before a defendant is released onto EM Bail. This person will also meet with the defendant within 48-hours once they have been released onto EM Bail.

Field Officer:

The Department has contracted First Security to provide electronic monitoring services.  First Security provides the electronic monitoring equipment including installing and responding to alerts.  Field Officers will always wear First Security identification tags and will be in a First Security uniform.

Information sought from relevant occupants

A Probation Officer or Bail Support Officer will contact the occupants at the proposed address.

If they agree in principle to the defendant living with them, the Officer will discuss what is needed for electronic monitoring and go through a safety checklist. This will take about one hour. Occupants will also need to consent to a criminal and traffic history check and other checks that may need to be completed to assist the Officer with their suitability check. The Officer will visit the proposed address or complete the discussion in a phone call.  A Field Officer will also check that the electronic monitoring equipment will work at the address.

Obligations of relevant occupants

The occupants must agree to a few conditions including:

  • to have monitoring equipment in their house
  • not to move or damage the monitoring equipment
  • to give a field officer (on showing proper identification) access to the house to maintain the equipment, response to alerts, or remove the equipment
  • to give Police and Corrections staff access to the address for electronic monitoring purposes

Each relevant occupant will sign the occupants consent form to show that they:

  • consent to the defendant living at the address on electronic monitoring
  • agree to abide by the conditions set for the electronically monitored bail

Supporting someone on Electronic Monitoring

Having someone confined at home during a curfew can lead to increased feelings of stress or frustration for everyone connected to the defendant.

Please note, in times of high stress, the defendant cannot leave the residence even if they want to unless there is an emergency situation.

If there are children living at the address

A Probation Officer or Bail Support Officer will make enquiries with Oranga Tamariki:

  • if there are children, aged 16 years or under living at the proposed address. This will happen even if the children are only there some of the time
  • if the defendant has past conditions or current charges of offending against children

Refusing consent

An occupant may refuse consent. Occupants are encouraged to express any concerns they might have about the impact electronically monitored bail will have on them, family members or other occupants.

It is important that occupants do not feel duty bound or pressured to give their permission for the defendant to live at their address.

If consent is not given by one or more from the relevant occupants, the application will be declined.

Withdrawing consent after it is given

Occupants may withdraw their consent at any time. Occupants don’t have to give any reason for withdrawing their consent.

Unless another suitable address can be found the defendant may be taken into Police custody and appear before a Judge who will re-examine suitability of the electronically monitored bail order.

Pressures on occupants

An electronically monitored bail order can be stressful for occupants as well as for the defendant for a variety of reasons, such as:

  • the restrictions on the defendant's ability to leave the address
  • in some cases, because the defendant cannot bring income into the house
  • the lack of general freedom of movement of social contact due to EM conditions
  • lack of privacy with random visits conducted by Police as part of their bail checks to make sure EM conditions are being complied with or
  • Field Officer visits as part of servicing equipment and responding to alerts.

All of this can be difficult for other occupants who provide support and do extra tasks on behalf of the defendant.

Managing absences and appointments

The EM Team or Bail Support Officer will be able discuss with you what kind of activities may be suitable for someone who is being electronically monitored.

The person you are supporting on electronic monitoring may need help with arranging appointments and getting organised.  You may be asked to attend appointments as a support person and to verify information. The defendant will only be permitted an absence if their bail conditions allow for it.

If the EM Bail condition says the absence is subject to approval, this means the defendant must seek approval from the EM team for the absence. This can be done by submitting an online absence request form at least 48-hours for consideration and will be contacted by email or call with the outcome.

For all approved absences the defendant must go straight there and back with no stops or deviations. If the defendant deviates this will be reported to Police as a breach.   This could result in an arrest.

If the absence request is not approved, the EM team will let the defendant know why the absence was declined.  This may include not having the relevant bail condition and the defendant may need to make an application via their lawyer to the Court requesting to change their bail conditions. This is also called a bail variation.

If the person does not comply

If a person being electronically monitored breaks the rules or conditions, they may have further chargers laid and may have to appear in Court. The occupant/s will not get into trouble if the person you are supporting on electronic monitoring breaks the rules however, there may be charges with an offence if the occupant/s refuse or fail to allow a Probation Officer or an authorised person such as  Field Officers appropriately identified or Police to enter  the address where the defendant is a resident .

Who to contact with questions or concerns

If any occupants are at risk, leave the address if it is a safe option for other family members.

In a non-emergency – not involving a risk to personal safety, contact the EM team on 0800 EM BAIL (0800 362 245).