Public Perceptions NZCVS

30 April 2025

Kiwis give their verdict on the justice system

New insights into New Zealanders’ perceptions of the justice system have been published for the first time.

The latest New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) included a new section called Public Perceptions.

This module asked respondents about their trust, confidence and perceptions of fairness and efficacy in the New Zealand justice system.

“There are many different factors that can affect people’s trust in the justice system. These can include people’s personal experience with the justice system, or what they’ve heard from whānau, friends and the media. Their trust in the Government and public institutions more generally can also be a factor,” Secretary for Justice Andrew Kibblewhite said.

“For example, whether or not a person has been the victim of a crime and their experience of reporting that crime or going through legal proceedings can influence how much trust they have in the criminal justice system.” 

Key Findings 

Most New Zealanders (78%) had at least some trust in the justice system, and almost half (45%) had high trust. 
Trust in the justice system tended to vary for different groups. For example, NZ Europeans, Māori, and members of the LGBTQ+ community had less trust in the justice system than the New Zealand average, while Asian New Zealanders had more trust.  
Forty percent of New Zealanders had high confidence in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, while 47% had high confidence in its fairness. 
People who have been the victim of a crime had less trust in the justice system and rated the criminal justice system less effective and fair than the New Zealand average. 
Most people were concerned about nationwide crime but were not so concerned about crime in their neighbourhoods.
For example, 80% of adults expressed serious concern about burglary in New Zealand, but only 40% were as concerned about burglary in their own community.

The findings provided an invaluable yardstick for the Ministry of Justice, Mr Kibblewhite said.

“Strengthening people’s trust in the law underpins all the work of the Ministry of Justice. That’s why these results, as well as future trends are so important to us,” Mr Kibblewhite said.

About key results – public perceptions of the justice system

The New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) is an annual national survey about New Zealanders’ experiences of crime that has been running for seven years.

Public Perceptions is a new module of the NZCVS. Interviews for the module were conducted with around 6,500 people between October 2023 and October 2024. Trends over time will be available in future NZCVS publications.

Read the PPM key results report [PDF, 6.4 MB]

NZCVS Cycle 7 resources and results

ENDS

Media contact:

Paul Easton
Principal Media Advisor
Minstry of Justice
media@justice.govt.nz
027 276 9810

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