Parliament is giving the police wider powers to collect DNA samples.
Only the Greens and the Maori Party voted against the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill which was passed under urgency on Wednesday morning by 108 to 13 votes.
The new law will be phased in over the next two years.
Initially, it will allow police to take DNA samples from people charged with a broader range of serious effects.
A Radio New Zealand political reporter says that from 2011 samples can be collected from anyone police intend to charge with an offence punishable by imprisonment, without their consent or the approval of a judge.
Associate Minister of Justice Nathan Guy says the bill enacts an election promise by the National Party and gives police the power to use the modern-day fingerprints to solve more crime.
