60 cases involving diplomats include serious offences

More than 60 diplomatic officials have sought immunity in New Zealand in the last 20 years.

And while the most recent case involving an EU diplomat is over a rental dispute, there have been much more serious cases.

Of those who have sought immunity, 25 have committed violent or sexual offences.

New Zealand officials applied to have diplomatic immunity waived in 13 of these cases, which range from drink-driving to assault, and a waiver was granted on seven occasions.

The figures were revealed in a 2016 report by ex-Treasury Secretary John Whitehead, who said offending by diplomats and family members in New Zealand was quite rare — around 2.3 incidents a year once minor offences were excluded.

Last year, an attache from the US embassy left New Zealand after an unknown incident in Lower Hutt which the police attended. The US Embassy declined to waive his immunity so the police could speak to him.

In 2014, Malaysian military attache Muhammed Rizalman bin Ismail left the country after being charged with sexual crimes. A mixup had led the Malaysian Government to believe he could leave NZ, though he was later returned and was found guilty of indecent assault.

The most infamous diplomatic offender in recent history was Australian navy officer Mark Napier, who waived his right to immunity in New Zealand in 2010 after being found with 40,000 objectionable images.