Media and reports

Here you will find our quarterly reports, our press releases, and instructions on how to make a media request to us:

Quarterly reports

Each quarter we publish information about the reports made to Netsafe including statistics related to harmful digital communications. The data reflects high-level trends and does not include easily identifiable information.

Netsafe has Netsafe Lab which comprises a team looking at people’s experience of harmful digital communications. Read more in our lab section.

Media Enquiries

Please email [email protected] with any media queries. We will do our best to reply to you promptly, however we are a small, not-for-profit team that receives multiple requests per day, and we cannot always turn around short-deadline requests for spokespeople or data reporting, though we do try to.

Please not that our support service is completely confidential and therefore we do not comment on individual incidents reported to us. We publish only aggregated data.

You can find statistics for the last financial years broken down by category in our annual reports here. We also report on data quarterly in our quarterly reports here.

Media Releases

2024 Netsafe media releases

11 March: Scam victims given new avenue for recovery of funds

20 February: Survey Results Support Nestafe’s Call for Changes to Harmful Digital Communications Act

12 February: Toolkit to empower seniors with scam-proofing savvy and online safety smarts

9 January: Netsafe, CYBERA, Dolla and Akahu unite to combat scams and fraud targeting kiwis in banking, crypto and telco sectors

2023 Netsafe media releases

19 December: Netsafe’s research reveals New Zealanders escalating negative online experiences for 2023

18 December: Save the Children, ChildFund and Netsafe NZ establish new online safety collaboration with Meta support

21 November: Netsafe collaborates with Global Risk Consulting Group to build deeper insights into New Zealand’s online harm threat landscape

2 November: State of Scams report released  |   State of Scams report

20 September: Cost of Cyberbullying research report released

27 April: Half of Kiwis encounter misinformation everyday

20 March: Netsafe Lab: One small step for Netsafe, one giant leap for online safety

7 February: Safer Internet Day 2023

2022 Netsafe media releases

13 December: Netsafe Annual Report shows New Zealanders scammed out of tens of millions

9 November: Netsafe x The Spinoff – Porn Week 2022

20 October: Netsafe x Alannah & Madeline Foundation launch Digital Licence+ to keep tamariki safe online

26 September: Netsafe & Bodyright.me Announce Body-Positive Initiative #beyourselfie for Mental Health Awareness Week

6 September: New Zealand’s rise in online harm drives key appointments for Netsafe

25 July: Netsafe and Global tech companies act to tackle digital harms and enhance online safety

2021 Netsafe media releases

22 February: Netsafe announces Brent Carey as new CEO

2 December: NZ’s draft Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms now available for feedback

17 November: A change at the top for Netsafe

27 August: Netsafe prepares for an influx of online harm incidents

1 August: Parents urged to prioritise digital parenting as harm reports surge

29 July: Global tech companies and Netsafe developing Aotearoa’s Online Safety Code of Practice

25 July: People think the internet is now more dangerous, plus it’s Netsafety Week

16 July: Online harm is rising – and NZ needs a united response

14 June: Think before you nude – a new campaign

10 June: Netsafe figures reveal continuing upward trend in online harm

10 May: Netsafe LIVE bound for Northland to support whānau and educators

29 March: Scammers hop into Easter with hollow promises set to cause pain

8 March: Online harm increasing in Aotearoa’s rainbow community

12 February: Valentine’s Day marks worrying romance scams increase

9 February: It’s Safer Internet Day, plus new Netsafe research

2 February: One week until Safer Internet Day

2020 Netsafe media releases

24 December: Shopping scams set to skyrocket over summer break

22 November: Online harm skyrocketed during New Zealand’s COVID-19 Lockdown

16 November: People lose nearly $19m to online scams in FY20

22 October: New insight into the gaps in parents’ knowledge of kids’ online lives

8 September: Parents urged to be aware of harmful content on social media

20 August: Survey reveals at least 50% of Kiwis have experienced fake news

31 March: Netsafe is urging people to stay connected and stay safe

19 March: Online scams, abuse and bullying predicted to rise

14 March: Valentines Day reveals who swipes right on scammers

11 February: NZ kids exposed to concerning online material

7 February: Record numbers embrace Safer Internet Day in NZ

19 January: Disruption to NZ’s family homes amid excessive internet use

2019 Netsafe media releases

12 December: Insights into New Zealand’s experience of online hate speech

2 December: New insight into Kiwi kids’ online interaction with people they don’t know

18 November: Kiwis lose nearly $23m to online scams

30 September: New research reveals the online lives of New Zealand kids

2 May: Digital self-harm affecting NZ teens, new research report reveals

3 April: Kiwis lose $33M in 2018 – new approach needed in the fight against online scams

23 January: Image based sexual abuse a problem for Kiwis of all generations, new research report reveals

2018 Netsafe media releases

10 December: Risks related to children sharing nudes and seeing sexually explicit content among parents’ top online concerns

10 October: Cyberbullying a $444M problem for NZ, new report reveals

23 August: Abuse, harassment and bullying complaints reach new record high, rising by 46% in the first half of 2018

1 August: Netsafe steps up local fight to tackle child sexual abuse material online

5 June: Nearly 1 in 5 NZ teens unable to take part in daily activities due to negative experience online

27 February: Taking away technology doesn’t keep us safe – NZ teens  

20 February: 2017 regional losses to scams and fraud revealed

1 February: Unwanted contact online seriously affecting 1 in 10 Kiwi adults 

25 January: Kiwis lose over $10m to online scams in 2017

2017 Netsafe media releases

6 December: Nudes and NZ teens: New research sheds light on the online experiences of young NZers

9 November: Netsafe tackles $257m cyber crime problem, with AI weapon against scammers

28 October: New research reveals how many young people share nude images

19 July: Netsafe warns New Zealanders against posting “revenge porn” or sharing intimate images of others online

28 June: New grant funds eight projects to combat online abuse, bullying and harassment in New Zealand

31 May: Online bullying, abuse and harassment service receives over 900 reports in first six months

22 May: We need to teach kids how to behave online – Netsafe’s advice for parents on Bullying-Free NZ Week

14 March: Half of NZ high school students unsupervised online outside of school

7 February: NZ ‘unites’ for a better internet on Safer Internet Day

2016 Netsafe media releases

22 December: Cyberbullying not just a problem for kids

5 December: Microsoft and Netsafe issue fresh warning about scammers

18 November: Netsafe launches long awaited cyberbullying service