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The Law Commission has called for a government inquiry into the way sex offending cases are tried, saying the current system is "brutalising and distressing" for complainants and effectively puts them on trial.
Today the Law Commission released its report looking at whether previous convictions of defendants should be disclosed to juries.
The Government asked the commission to review the area after public disquiet following the acquittals of former policemen Brad Shipton, Bob Schollum and Clint Rickards on sex charges in the Louise Nicholas case.
After the three were acquitted of kidnap and indecent assault at another trial last year it was revealed Shipton and Schollum were already in prison.
They had been convicted in 2005 for the pack rape of a woman in Mt Maunganui in 1989 - information which could not be disclosed to the jury previously.
The commission said the law regarding previous convictions had subsequently been loosened and it did not recommend any new changes, saying it would instead monitor the effects of the 2006 Evidence Act.
However, the report said it was left with "lingering worries" about the trial process for sex cases as a whole.
Law Commission president Sir Geoffrey Palmer said there were wider "disturbing features" about the trial process for sexual offences and recommended a government inquiry into whether an alternative model would be preferable to the current adversarial model.
The report said the commission had listened to the experiences of Louise Nicholas and others, and was left with doubts about the fairness of the traditional court system for dealing with sex cases.
It said a submission by a retired Court of Appeal judge, Justice EW Thomas reinforced this.
"He told us that the nature and impact of the trial in sexual cases on complainants is a brutalising and distressing experience in which the complainant is effectively put on trial."
The Network for Ending Sexual Violence Together had also said it had concerns about the low conviction rate for rape in New Zealand, and believed victims were deterred from reporting offences because of the ordeal they were then put through.
The commission said it did not necessarily believe previous convictions should be admitted in all sex cases, but did believe further investigation of trial processes should be made."
Mr Palmer said the Taskforce on Sexual Violence currently under way look at the issue further, and deciding on possible options for a further, separate inquiry to consider.
Sir Geoffrey said subsequent changes in the Evidence Act in 2006 had loosened the area but it was too early to tell what impact the change would have. He said the commission would monitor the change and report on whether it considered further changes were needed in February 2010.
