Over a third of Māori are victims of crime, Ministry of Justice report reveals

April 8, 2021

That is eight per cent higher than the general population.

Māori are more victimised by crime than any other ethnic group in the country, according to a new report by the Ministry of Justice.

The research is aimed at identifying factors that are contributing to crime victimisation. Thirty-eight per cent of Māori have been victims of crime – eight per cent higher than non-Māori in a 12-month period.

Multiple factors from age, disability, sexuality and financial stability were shown to have contributed to Māori victimisation.

It coincides with the ministry’s 2006 report, which found Māori were more likely to be victims of crime partly due to “depravation of income, housing and land”.

Ministry of Justice’s deputy secretary says this highlights the lack of improvement for Māori in the past 15 years.

“These trends will continue unless changes are made. Clearly change must not be cosmetic for Māori. It must be large scale and practical,” says Tim Hampton.

Younger people between 15 to 29 years old, those with a disability and people in a “non-legally recognised partnership” were at higher risk of victimisation.

“We found a small proportion of Māori experience disproportionate amounts of crime, with just five per cent of Māori adults experiencing 81 per cent of all violent interpersonal offences against Māori and 56 per cent of burglaries,” he says.

Ministry officials said they hope the report’s findings will be used to help improve crime support services for Māori moving forward.

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