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Story: Youth offenders

Cat-o'-nine-tails

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Cat-o'-nine-tails

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, children and young people (mainly boys) were flogged with implements like this cat-o'-nine-tails to punish them for committing offences. The label on the stick says that it was authorised for use by Minister of Justice A. L. Herdman on 6 October 1913.

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New Zealand Police Museum

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How to cite this page

Gabrielle Maxwell, Youth offenders – Treatment of young offenders, 1840 to 1980s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/26590/cat-o-nine-tails (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gabrielle Maxwell, published 28 March 2011, updated 1 August 2017.