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Is New Zealand a haven for pedophiles? It's a question being asked four months after U.S. Customs agents presented the country's authorities with a list of suspects caught buying child pornography on the Internet. The agents told Time that none of the dozens of New Zealanders on the list - originating from Operation Falcon, which targeted purchasers of child pornography from websites originating in Belarus - have yet been arrested. Using records of the customers' credit card transactions, U.S. agents amassed a list of over 95,000 potential recipients of child pornography. Offenders were traced to a score of countries, including Australia and New Zealand. A U.S. Customs agent handed over a cd containing the names to New Zealand police and Customs officers in about September last year, says U.S. Customs spokeswoman Jamie Zuieback. In Australia, starting last July, authorities rounded up hundreds of suspects in a blaze of publicity. A police source says one of the targets moved to New Zealand before the raids; Australian police passed on his name to their Kiwi counterparts over four months ago.

New Zealand police have refused to comment on the status of the list of suspects, saying it is "contrary to operational policy to either confirm or deny the receipt of information from authorities in other jurisdictions." The country's Customs officials confirm that they received the information, but will only say they are working on the list, along with police and the Internal Affairs department, which also declined to comment on investigations.

What might be hindering authorities is New Zealand's weak anti-child pornography regime. Under existing laws, authorities cannot get a warrant to search the property of a person suspected of having child pornography. Such search warrants were used to great effect during the Australian authorities' investigations. Even if New Zealand authorities succeed in charging a person with possession of child pornography, the maximum penalty the suspect faces is a $NZ2,000 fine with no jail time.

New penalties and greater search powers, first proposed in 2000, are still being considered by the country's parliament; it could be months before they are in force. Anti-child exploitation groups are aghast. Authorities are "hamstrung at the moment," says Denise Ritchie, of the Stop Demand Foundation. "Here we are in 2005. Why is it taking so long? It should be a slam dunk."

When the homes of those on the Australian list were raided, shocked investigators found suspects working as teachers, religious ministers and police officers, running child-care centers and even making their own pornography using local children. So what are New Zealand's suspects up to, and when will they find a police officer at their door?

Rory Callinan can be emailed at Rory_Callinan@timeinc.com.au

• Rory Callinan
• New Zealand law helps child pornography users stay in the shadows