Cruise ship tourist ejected after attack

An Australian man was kicked off the Voyager of the Seas cruise ship after he assaulted his ex-partner while on the way to the Bay of Islands. Photo / File

The arrest and deportation of an Australian cruise ship passenger for an assault in international waters shows police will take action against domestic violence no matter where it happens, the Bay of Islands' top cop says.

Inspector Al Symonds said the 43-year-old man from Tasmania was removed from a cruise ship Voyager of the Seas when it anchored in the Bay last Monday.

The man had kicked in the cabin door of his ex-partner and their 10-year-old daughter, who were travelling on the same ship, and he assaulted both.

The child was not injured but the woman suffered bruising in the incident, which Mr Symonds said had been fuelled by alcohol.

The captain ordered the man off the ship and he was arrested at Waitangi jetty. He was charged with male assaults female and assault on a child. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the Kaikohe District Court the next day. He was then deported to Australia after Immigration New Zealand refused him entry into the country.

Mr Symonds said the incident occurred in international waters but New Zealand police had jurisdiction when an offence carried a maximum penalty of two or more years' jail.

Tasmanian and Australian federal police had been informed. The arrest showed the police were determined to act against domestic violence.

"You're not going to get away with it, no matter where it happens," he said.

Christmas traditionally sees an increase in domestic violence in Northland, attributed to greater consumption of alcohol and increased financial pressures.

The ship visiting the Bay of Islands that day was the 4000-passenger Voyager of the Seas. On the same day, a 74-year-old passenger was issued with a formal warning after police said she tried to steal jewellery from a Paihia shop. The jewellery was returned and she was allowed back on to the vessel.