The New Zealand government has written to world cricket bosses to highlight human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. It is leading a push to have Zimbabwe banned from international cricket.
In a letter to the ICC, foreign minister Phil Goff also urged that the New Zealand team be allowed to cancel its trip to Zimbabwe without penalty.
"We believe that the International Cricket Council cannot ignore these gross abuses as if they were not happening," Goff wrote.
"We therefore request the ICC, as a matter of urgency, to consider revising the futures tours Programme to exclude tours to Zimbabwe and by Zimbabwe while this situation continues in that country," he said.
New Zealand has already announced it would refuse to issue visas to the Zimbabwe team in a reciprocal tour scheduled for the end of this year.
The British and Australian governments have both announced they would support plans to exclude Zimbabwe from international sport.
However, New Zealand's cricket association says the team will proceed with the tour to avoid paying the ICC a minimum fine of �1.1 million for any boycott.
MMIX
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