Blasphemous libel is a common law criminal offence in England and Wales. Where there has been a guilty verdict for the "composing, printing or publishing" of blasphemous or seditious libel, section 1 of the Criminal Libel Act 1819 gives to the court the power to order the search for and seizure of the material. In New Zealand it is illegal under the Crimes Act 1961 (Section 123) to publish any blasphemous libel. The maximum punishment is one year imprisonment. No one can be prosecuted without the consent of the Attorney General. It is a defence in New Zealand law to express an opinion on a religious subject provided that it is expressed in good faith and in decent language: "It is not an offence against this section to express in good faith and in decent language, or to attempt to establish by arguments used in good faith and conveyed in decent language, any opinion whatever on any religious subject."
