Research produced, commissioned, or funded by the Ministry of Justice using New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) data is published here. Click here for more about the NZCVS, and here for other justice data products.
The majority of all crime incidents are experienced by a group of 137,000 New Zealanders. The most victimised New Zealanders face multiple other challenges, and the risk of being highly victimised compounds as people experience more health, housing or economic vulnerabilities.
Highly victimised people factsheet [PDF, 231 KB]
Around 32% of disabled people have experienced victimisation. That's around 60,000 people in Aotearoa. Young disabled people face one of the highest victimisation rates of any demographic group.
Disability and victimisation factsheet [PDF, 212 KB]
If you’re a researcher interested in reading the methodological report behind these two factsheets above, or you are interested in doing analysis with justice data in the IDI, please get in touch at research@justice.govt.nz.
Further qualitative research explored the experiences of 23 disabled people as victims of crime in the justice system. The research found that, in addition to the common challenges associated with victimisation, disabled people often face extra barriers like financial hardship and unmet accessibility needs.
Understanding lived experience of disabled victims factsheet [PDF, 163 KB]
Understanding the Lived Experiences of Disabled People Who Have Been Victims of Crime [PDF, 880 KB]
This research uses police records involving violence (including sexual violence) between 2009 and 2023 to identify the proportion of individuals with records of violence who were both victims and offenders. The findings reveal that Māori, young people, and those with a record of physical assault were more likely to fall within the victim-offender overlap group.
Overlap between victim and offender in New Zealand factsheet [PDF, 244 KB]
Using five years of NZCVS data (2018-2022) within the IDI, the research identifies individual, community and offence-related factors that predict reporting family violence or sexual violence offences to Police. The research finds individuals who receive a social service, view family and sexual violence as a crime, or experience more severe injuries were more likely to report. It also finds no differences in wellbeing outcomes between those who reported family and sexual violence and those who did not report.
To Report or Not to Report - Policy Brief [PDF, 501 KB]
The research explores the characteristics of victims who experience multiple types of offences (e.g. burglary and assault) in a 12-month period (also known as poly-victimisation). Using five years of NZCVS data (2018-2022) within the IDI, the research identifies the characteristics most associated with repeated victimisation.
Understanding demographics of victims experiencing multiple offences factsheet [PDF, 188 KB]
Understanding re-victimisation through an intersectional lens [PDF, 4.8 MB]
Understanding re-victimisation through an intersectional lens - Policy Brief [PDF, 277 KB]
LGBTQ+ adults are more likely to be victims of crime than non-LGBTQ+ adults. The research finds that the difference does not disappear after controlling for demographic differences between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ adults. LGBTQ+ victims also appear to experience more severe impacts as a result of crime. LGBTQ+ victims are more likely to require PHARMAC prescriptions, particularly for mental health-related drugs.
Understanding LGBTQ effects on likelihoods of being victimised factsheet [PDF, 133 KB]
The burden of crime victimisation among the LGBTQ+ population in Aotearoa [PDF, 1.6 MB]
Using linked data from the NZCVS and the IDI, this research explores the impacts of victimisation by comparing changes in income, employment, injury claims, and mental health for victims and non-victims. It finds that being victimised results in a drop in quarterly earnings, and an increase in benefit receipt. Injury rates and emergency department visits rates are also higher for victims compared with non-victims, both before and after being victimised.
Exploring cost of crime in New Zealand [PDF, 255 KB]
The research explores the rise of scams. It draws on NZCVS data, alongside in-depth interviews with victims and key individuals from stakeholder agencies and organisations. The report provides a range of recommendations, including urging action from both government and private sectors to combat scams through a coordinated anti-scam centre, stronger data sharing, increased public awareness, and greater industry responsibility.
Understanding scams and improving coordinated responses factsheet [PDF, 239 KB]
Drawing on the voices of young survivors of child sexual exploitation and frontline practitioners, the research reports both in-person and online child sexual abuse that includes transactional or exploitation dynamics. The research highlights how sexual abuse with these dynamics is particularly challenging to address as the trusted adults in young people’s lives are often complicit in facilitating the abuse, and it is normalised in the context of those young people’s lives.
Children living through sexual exploitation in Aotearoa New Zealand factsheet [PDF, 187 KB]
Children living through sexual exploitation in Aotearoa New Zealand [PDF, 2.8 MB]
Children living through sexual exploitation in Aotearoa New Zealand research summary [PDF, 1.8 MB]