A child can be held criminally responsible for their actions. 

A child becomes a young person. 

A young person can be left alone. 

A young person can be charged with committing a crime and brought before a youth court. 

A young person can be dealt with in an adult court for a serious offence. 

A young person can buy fireworks.

A young person can baby-sit. 

A young person can learn to drive 

A child/young person can live with somebody else if the parent agrees.

A child/young person who is excluded from school must enrol in another school or do correspondence lessons.

Parents/guardians must provide children/young people with the necessities of life. 

Parents can be held responsible for paying for loss or damage to property by the child/young person. 

A young person can leave home without their parents consent unless they are ‘at risk’. 

A young person can be ‘kicked out’ of home. 

Minimum age of consent for sex (male and female). 

A young person is dealt with in an adult court and can go to prison. 

A young person can buy alcohol and cigarettes. 

A young person can take out a bank loan or hire purchase agreement, open a cheque account or have a credit card. 

A young person can get an unemployment benefit. 

A young person can enter into a civil union (16 & 17 yr olds require parental consent). 

A young person becomes an adult and parents’ guardianship rights cease.

A young person can marry against parents’ wishes.

A young person can gamble.

Baywide Community Law Service is a local free legal advisory service. 38 Hamilton Rd. Tauranga, contact: 571 6812 

Youth Law have lots of fact sheets and resources and can advise youth under 25 (or those acting on behalf of youth) for free over the phone 09 309 6967 10am-4pm Mon- Fri (you may call collect)