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Wāhine Māori overrepresented in the criminal justice system
Wāhine Māori overrepresented in the criminal justice system
MEDIA RELEASE
24 February 2026
Māori women are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, and this increases the further they progress through the system, a new factsheet from the Ministry of Justice shows.
"While wāhine Māori make up 15 percent of women in Aotearoa New Zealand, they continue to be disproportionately represented at every stage of the criminal justice system,” says Rebecca Parish, the Ministry of Justice’s General Manager, Sector Insights.
“Our research shows that wāhine Māori are disproportionately represented at every point of the justice system, with a higher proportion (compared to the overall population of women) coming through courts, being remanded in custody and sentenced to imprisonment.”
The analysis shows that the disproportionality increases as wāhine Māori move through the system. Wāhine Māori made up 44 percent of all women who were proceeded against by police, 49 percent of women entering court, 66 percent of women remanded in custody, and 71 percent of women sentenced to imprisonment.
The factsheet provides early visibility on the work to understand where disproportionality – the over-representation of one group in relation to others – occurs and where change is likely to have the most impact.
While some of the disproportionality can be explained by factors such as seriousness and history of offending, a proportion remains unexplained, particularly at later stages in the system.
This indicates that the system’s response to wāhine Māori contributes to some of this disproportionality. Discretionary decisions made within the justice system, and therefore within the system's control, contribute to this unexplained proportion.
Reducing disproportionality of Māori in the criminal justice system overall is a priority strategic goal for the Ministry. Wāhine Māori are the focus of the first stage of this work, with the justice sector exploring options to improve information provided to decision makers across the system, for system’s responses to be well informed and aligned to the needs and circumstances of wāhine Māori.
“This is partly because ensuring equitable outcomes for wāhine Māori have broader positive impacts on whānau and communities, including improved youth outcomes and reduced pressure on other government support systems,” Ms Parish says.
“Ongoing analysis will help us monitor the impact of this work, and how best to continue addressing the disproportionality of wāhine Māori in the criminal justice system.”
Key Findings:
In the year to June 2025, wāhine Māori made up 15 percent of women in Aotearoa New Zealand, yet they represent:
44 percent of women who were proceeded against by Police
49 percent of women who entered court
66 percent of women who were remanded in custody
71 percent of women who were sentenced to imprisonment.