ACT proposes portable 'Working with Children Card' to replace current police vetting
The ACT Party wants to introduce a portable "Working with Children Card" that would replace the current system of police vetting for people who work with children. The party's slogan for the policy is "no card, no start" (Stuff).
Karen Chhour, ACT's children's spokesperson, said anyone employed to work with children would need to hold the card. It would take into account criminal convictions, disciplinary findings, and other relevant records (RNZ).
The key difference from the current system is continuity. Chhour said safety checks for people working with children are currently done once every three years and only show a person's record at a single point in time. The proposed card would follow the worker, be continuously monitored, and pick up new information as it arises. It would also replace the duplicated screening that individual organisations currently do separately (RNZ).
Under the proposal, the card would be linked to ongoing information from Police and relevant regulatory bodies to keep it up to date. If a cardholder committed an offence, the card could be suspended or revoked, and employers and regulators would be notified (RNZ).
ACT said the system is expected to cost up to $20 million to set up but would save money over time by being used across multiple jobs, schools, clubs, and community groups instead of requiring new checks each time (RNZ).
ACT published an official news release on its website titled "ACT will introduce smarter screening to improve child safety," authored by Chhour and dated 18 August 2026 (ACT Party). The party's website also carries recent releases on rural crime policy and a "One Law for All" statement, both dated 17 August 2026 (ACT Party).
The broader context here is the structural difference between a point-in-time vetting model and a continuous-monitoring one. The current Children's Act 2014 framework requires employers to carry out safety checks at set intervals, but the responsibility sits with the employer or organisation, not a central authority. ACT's proposal would shift that: the card and its currency would sit with the worker and an administering body, with employers notified if the status changes. That is a different regulatory architecture, not just a faster version of the existing one.
For the sector, the portability element is the practical appeal. A worker who moves between a school, a sports club, and an after-school programme currently triggers separate vetting processes at each stop. A card that follows the worker removes that duplication. Whether the $20 million establishment cost and the ongoing monitoring infrastructure would be funded from new spending or reprioritised within existing budgets has not been specified in the material released.
The political backdrop is also relevant. ACT leader David Seymour stated on his official Instagram account in June 2026 that he has twice tried to change the law so elected representatives are subject to basic safeguarding checks around working with children (Instagram). The Working with Children Card policy extends that thread into a broader workforce-level screening regime.
This is a campaign proposal, not government policy. It would need legislation to amend or replace the existing safety-checking provisions in the Children's Act 2014, plus the establishment of whatever body or system administers the card, monitors its status, and receives data feeds from Police and regulators. How disciplinary findings from employers would be standardised and fed into a central system has not been set out in the material published so far.
The policy lands as part of ACT's wider policy rollout ahead of the next election, alongside releases on rural crime and Treaty-related matters. Whether it gains traction as a coalition negotiating item, or stays a party-level position, will depend on the post-election arithmetic.
