Justice advisory group report released
Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora – the Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group has released He Waka Roimata, a report that shares what they’ve heard from New Zealanders about the criminal justice system.
Te Uepū was established by Justice Minister Andrew Little in July 2018 to conduct an honest and constructive conversation about how we can deliver safer and more effective justice.
He Waka Roimata covers the following major themes emerging from the public discussion:
- too many people who have been harmed by crime feel unheard, misunderstood and re-victimised
- the number of Māori in the system is a crisis
- violence is an enormous problem, particularly for families and children
- formal justice processes fail us too often
- the system is too focused on punishment and neglects prevention, rehabilitation, reconciliation and repair of the harm done by crime
- individuals, families and whānau feel unsupported and disempowered by the system, and the ability of iwi, hapū, communities, NGOs and others to provide support is constrained by the siloed nature of government structures and funding arrangements
- people experiencing mental distress lack the support they need.
The report complements ongoing work by the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata: Safe and Effective Justice programme and the recent Victims Issues Workshop and Hui Māori: Ināia Tonu Nei Safe and Effective Justice forum.
Te Uepū is now developing a response to the themes and ideas raised by the public.
Read the full report [PDF, 5 MB]
Read Justice Minister Andrew Little’s media release (external link)
Follow the conversation on Facebook(external link) and Twitter(external link)