New Zealand | 5 November 2026

Michael Fritz, the sole company officer of Security Force New Zealand Limited, has had his security approval cancelled after being convicted of money laundering and sentenced to more than two years in prison.

The Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA) cancelled Fritz's certificate of approval and his company's security licence in a decision dated July 31, 2026.

According to the decision, Fritz was convicted of engaging in money laundering on June 26, 2026, and sentenced to two years and three months' imprisonment.

Police subsequently sought the cancellation of his certificate of approval, arguing that both the conviction and prison sentence were grounds for disqualification under section 62 of the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010.

Fritz was the sole company officer of Security Force New Zealand Limited, which held a company licence for property guarding and crowd control.

The Authority also found that the company had failed to file its annual returns for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Under section 43 of the Act, a security licence is automatically suspended when the licence holder fails to file the required annual return.

The decision further noted that Security Force New Zealand Limited was in the process of being removed from the Companies Register because it had failed to file its company annual return.

Fritz had appealed his prison sentence but had not appealed his conviction.

He had also not applied for a waiver of the disqualification grounds or provided submissions explaining why his certificate of approval and the company's licence should remain in place.

Licensing Authority P A McConnell found that the conviction made Fritz unsuitable to continue working as a responsible security worker or acting as an officer of a licensed security company.

McConnell also determined that Fritz would remain disqualified under the Act even if his appeal against the prison sentence succeeded.

The Authority ordered the immediate cancellation of Fritz's certificate of approval and Security Force New Zealand Limited's company licence.

Fritz was also directed to return his security identification card to the PSPLA within seven days of receiving the decision.

The ruling removes both Fritz's approval to carry out regulated security work and the company's licence to provide security services.

The decision is recorded as 2026 NZPSPLA 063, dated July 31, 2026.