National penalties - life imprisonment

New Zealand

New Zealand - Crimes Act 1961 (2025) EN

Jurisdiction in respect of crimes on ships or aircraft beyond New Zealand
(3) Where at any place beyond New Zealand any person who belongs, or within 3 months previously has belonged, to any Commonwealth ship does or omits any act, whether on shore or afloat, not being an act or omission to which subsection (1) applies, and that act or omission would, if it occurred within New Zealand, be an offence punishable by imprisonment for life or by 2 or more years’ imprisonment, then this section shall apply in respect of that act or omission in the same manner in all respects as if it had occurred on board a Commonwealth ship.

Execution of sentence, process, or warrant

Punishment for treason or attempted treason
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, every one who commits treason within the meaning of any of the provisions of paragraphs (a) to (e) shall upon conviction be sentenced to imprisonment for life.

New Zealand - International Crimes and International criminal Court Act 2000 (2021) EN

9 Genocide
(3)
(b) in any other case, imprisonment for life or a lesser term.

10 Crimes against humanity
(3)
(b) in any other case, imprisonment for life or a lesser term.

11. War crimes
(3) The penalty for a war crime is,—
(b) in any other case, imprisonment for life or a lesser term.

Rome Statute

Article 77 Applicable penalties

1. Subject to article 110, the Court may impose one of the following penalties on a person convicted of a crime referred to in article 5 of this Statute:

(a) Imprisonment for a specified number of years, which may not exceed a maximum of 30 years; or

(b) A term of life imprisonment when justified by the extreme gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person.