New Zealand's first sex offender register has been signed off by Cabinet, but will only be available to agencies and not the general public.

An accused child rapist is one of a growing number of people able to flee criminal charges after cutting off their electronic bracelets.

Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail was initially scheduled to return to this country almost a month ago to face charges of burglary and assault with intent to rape Tania Billingsley.

Convicted sex offender Alan Rubick was highly manipulative and skilled at identifying young vulnerable boys, the High Court at Wanganui was told.

A GP who visited a female patient at her work, pulled down his pants and asked for oral sex is fighting to keep his name suppressed.

I was wrong when I claimed that leading politicians knew the name of the "prominent" New Zealander hiding behind name suppression. David Cunliffe did not.

An Auckland school failed to act on concerns raised by two teenage students who felt unsafe around their teacher - six years before he was arrested for sexually grooming one of them and other underage girls.

Prime Minister John Key has come under fire for refusing to apologise to the victim of an alleged sex attack involving a Malaysian diplomat.

John Key will not personally apologise to the victim of an alleged sexual attack involving a Malaysian diplomat after she accused him of appearing bored with her case.

Proposed "vote-winning" law changes relating to criminal justice reform of rape cases could result in more innocent people being sent to prison.

I have reluctantly concluded that NZ does suffer a rape culture. Men can commit sex crimes and get away with it, writes Rodney Hide.

A 16-year-old girl was picked up off an Auckland street and sexually and physically assaulted for three hours, police say.

The Labour leader apologised for being a man and the lid came off a sizeable can of worms, writes Patricia Greig.

Northland has been rocked by another alleged sexual crime committed by an employee at one of the area's schools.

The Rolf Harris convictions have left people puzzled: how did he get away with it for so long?

Derryn Hinch wants to be able to turn on his mobile phone and see the names of all sex offenders in the neighbourhood.

The call for public registries of convicted sex offenders is a kneejerk response to an entrenched problem of sexual violence in our country.

Opposition parties attacked the terms of reference of the sex case inquiry, released yesterday, for not specifically identifying the role of Mr McCully for scrutiny.

Last night an online petition calling for Mr McCully's resignation had gathered over 250 signatures, including someone claiming to be Conservative Party leader Colin Craig.

Both major parties are promising fundamental changes to the way rape cases are prosecuted - and that has some legal experts concerned.

A Hastings man has pleaded guilty to a brutal sexual assault on an 87-year-old woman in her home last year and another sexual attack on the same day.

An English television presenter has described how convicted predator Rolf Harris groped her on live television while she was interviewing him in the mid-1990s.

The Social Development Minister is promising that any NZ women molested by disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris will have their claims fully investigated.

What a complete cock-up on the part of our Foreign Affairs officials over the case of the Malaysian diplomat who has been accused of burglary and sexual assault.

eBay is reviewing the sale of artwork and other items associated with Rolf Harris following his conviction for child sex offences this week.

Over a dozen NZ women have told Maggie Barry they were also indecently assaulted by Rolf Harris - and one is considering an official complaint to police after years of silence.

Rolf Harris has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison on 12 charges of indecently assaulting four girls.