It's now illegal for anyone in New Zealand to support Hamas.
The government is now in step with its Five Eyes partners designating the political arm of Hamas a terrorist entity.
The designation freezes any of Hamas' assets here and makes it a criminal offence to participate in or support its activities.
The government says it's acting against the extremes of both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Otago University international relations professor Robert Patman spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss
