Two separate shootings in Auckland over the last three days, that have left two people dead and one critically injured, are the second and third serious gun incidents in the city in just over two weeks. They follow the shooting rampage of Matu Reid, who killed two co-workers and injured ten others, before taking his own life.
These events are indicative of a rise in crime that has become such a major problem for society.
Broadcaster Peter Williams has some numbers: “ In the three months to the end of April, there were 45,046 retail crimes reported. Police attended 1 in 10 of them and made 1041 arrests. If you run a shop and get burgled, you have just a one in ten chance of the police coming and only a 2.3 percent chance that an alleged offender will be arrested.”
These damning figures are contributing to the growing sense of lawlessness that’s now enveloping New Zealand. This anxiety was picked up in a May survey of 1,000 people published by the Herald. It shows two-thirds of Kiwis are more concerned they may become a victim of crime today than they were five years ago.
The most revealing statistic is the diverging trend between reported crimes which increased 33 percent between 2017 and 2022, and the 26 percent decline in Police arrests, the 25 percent drop in convictions, and the 38 percent fall in prison sentences.
These are very significant numbers. Quite simply, Labour’s soft on crime policy is failing to keep New Zealanders safe.
Furthermore, the system is full of paradoxes. Here’s one.
In 2021, a farmer, found guilty of breaching Regional Council Resource Management Act consents, received a three-month prison sentence.
Meanwhile in 2023, 24-year-old Matu Reid, who attacked his girlfriend so brutally that she needed hospitalisation, ended up with a community sentence – in spite of already being under supervision for a previous violence offence and being assessed by his probation officer as being at high risk of causing harm to others.
How is it that our justice system could deliver such inconsistency: A man who was no risk at all to the safety of others was thrown in jail, while a violent offender was released into the community, where he was able to access a pump-action shotgun and kill his workmates after being sacked from his job?
To address this, let’s first look into some of Labour’s changes to the justice system – starting with Corrections.
According to briefing papers to the incoming Labour Government in 2017, on any given day the Department of Corrections managed around 10,400 offenders in prison and 30,000 in the community.
Offenders receiving a Court sentence of two years or less are eligible to serve their time in the community doing between 40 and 400 hours of unpaid community work. Those whose offending is at the more serious end of the scale are subjected to more intensive supervision, including electronic monitoring, curfews, and home detention.
When it came to the ethnicity of prisoners, the Corrections’ report stated, “Maori have made approximately half of our prison population for at least the last 30 years.”
Prison statistics show that in September 2017, Maori comprised 50.7 percent of inmates, Europeans were 31.6 percent, and Pacific Islanders were 11.1 percent.
By late 2019, when prison numbers had fallen slightly to 10,040 and the proportion of Maori had increased to 51.9 percent, the Minister of Corrections Kelvin Davis announced an ambitious new strategy, Hokai Rangi, to reduce the number of Maori in prison: “The ultimate objective is to lower the proportion of Maori in Corrections’ care to a level that matches the Maori share of the general population.”
In other words, he wanted to reduce the numbers of Maori in prison from 52 percent down to 16 percent!
When questioned by Q+A’s Jack Tame, Kelvin Davis claimed racism is the reason there are so many Maori in prison: “I believe there are parts of the system that are extremely racist.”
When asked what parts of the system are the most racist, the Minister said you just need to look at the numbers: “Why is it that Maori are over-represented? They’re prosecuted for similar crimes that other people aren’t.”
But when Jack Tame said that’s because Maori are committing these crimes, Kelvin Davis responded, “We can go back and talk about how history has impacted on outcomes for Maori… but Hokai Rangi is about looking at the Corrections system and making sure it works and is effective for our people.”
Hokai Rangi, which was co-designed by iwi, adopted a “Maori world view” and promoted co-governance. It transformed Corrections “from a system based on Western schools of thought in its operating approach to one that prioritises and elevates matauranga Maori.”
According to the Minister, the strategy, to be implemented over the five years from 2019 to 2024, would focus on accountability: “Action-planning and measurement, so that we can track our progress, is fundamental to this strategy, as is a commitment to weave accountability for outcomes throughout the Department at all levels.”
While progress reports remain virtually impossible to find, the latest April 2023 Corrections statistics show a dramatic 18 percent fall in the prison population to 8,513, but a rise in the proportion of Maori to 52.7 percent!
This rapid reduction in prison numbers has fuelled concerns that Labour’s ‘soft on crime’ changes are responsible for the increase in crime. Not only that, but the fingerprints of iwi and Labour’s Maori Caucus are not just over Corrections, but the Police as well.
Broadcaster Kate Hawkesby highlights this in her outline of what happened to a tourist who was the victim of a serious unprovoked assault by a nightclub bouncer:
“The Police turned up, were shown video footage, CCTV footage, they spoke to everyone concerned, they had everything there right in front of them including the culprit. Did they make an arrest? They did not.
“The Police at the time were unsure what to do; they said they needed to ‘think about it’. The next day, many questions were asked, including why no charges had been laid. They’d be ‘following it up in due course’ they said.
“Witness statements were made, reports filed – and then silence…
“Then, seven whole months after the event, a police spokesperson got in touch with an update. The bouncer had been offered… an ‘Iwi Community Panel – where the participant is given the choice of attending a panel hearing or going to Court. Panels are made up of three community people. They are not judges or lawyers. Their job is to decide what should happen as a result of the offence.’
“The offender had to ‘meet some outcomes’ the police spokesperson said. What outcomes? Who knows. Who’s checking he meets them? As far as the police were concerned, it’d been ‘dealt with’. They’d handed it over to the community panel. Case closed.”
As Kate says, a violent attack that sent a tourist to hospital resulted in no arrests, no charges, no court, no sentence – only a chat with a community panel of iwi.
Given the lack of consequences, will this offender be deterred from reoffending? Unlikely.
Will this tourist come back to New Zealand? Definitely not.
Labour’s soft on crime approach is clearly harming our country!
The Police panel that ‘dealt’ with this criminal was a ‘Te Pae Oranga Iwi Community Panel’, which operates in ‘partnership’ with iwi.
According to the Police website, “Te Pae Oranga means to talk, listen and become well. It uses tikanga and kaupapa Maori and restorative justice practices…”
They say, “It can be more effective than prosecuting someone, as more serious options can do more harm than good: having a criminal conviction can have long-lasting consequences. A criminal conviction makes it harder for an offender to get their lives back on track.”
They maintain “Te Pae Oranga is not a soft option”.
Kate Hawkesby’s tourist would disagree!
It seems the Police have now become “an inclusive partner for Iwi Maori”.
The Police Commissioner has established a 21-member Maori Focus Forum that not only co-designs policing strategy for dealing with Maori offenders, but also plays a “governance role”.
The end result of this partnership with iwi is that Police “live up to the joint expectations of those partners, to improve long term wellbeing for Maori who come to Police attention.”
In other words, Maori justice is all about the offender – ensuring they have a positive outcome. There is little regard for the victim.
As a result, offenders who are Maori now have a different pathway – one that looks past the victim to embrace the culture of the offender.
This is dangerous.
The paradox that led to Matu Reid being released into the community points to other failings in the criminal justice system.
In his sentencing notes the District Court’s Judge Bonnar explained the process: “[W]hen I decide on the final sentence for you, Mr Reid, I am going to set a starting point for the strangulation charge. I am then going to take account of the other charges, and then consider what credits I can apply because of things in your favour.”
The Judge determined the appropriate sentence for Matu Reid’s assault on his partner was two years and three months’ imprisonment. Given the violence, the vulnerability of the victim, and the fact that he was under supervision at the time of the offending, the sentence was lifted to three years.
The credits applied were a nine-month discount for pleading guilty, and a seven-month discount for having a “troubled background” – as set out in a cultural report prepared under section 27 of the Sentencing Act 2002. That brought the sentence down to 20 months – under the two-year limit for a custodial sentence.
The Department of Corrections’ Prison Operations Manual provides guidance to Judges for the length of sentences: an offender is eligible for parole after serving one-third of a sentence of more than two-years, and is eligible for release after serving half of a sentence of two years or less.
In the Judge’s words, “A 20 month sentence of imprisonment would… equate to a 10 month sentence of home detention. However, I also take into account the time that you spent remanded in custody on these charges… five and a half months or so. Therefore, I am going to apply a further five-month credit on the home detention sentence. That reduces the total sentence, Mr Reid, to one of five months’ home detention.”
If Matu Reid had not been given a seven-month discount for his troubled background, he would have ended up in jail, and he and his two victims would still be alive.
Cultural reports have now become a multi-million-dollar industry. In just five years the number has exploded from eight a year to almost 2,500 last year, costing taxpayers over $6.5 million!
There are now calls for taxpayer funding for these reports to be removed and for the discounts that can be applied by Judges to be limited to exceptional circumstances only.
‘Maori law’ is not only in Corrections and Policing. An expectation is now emanating from our highest court that tikanga, or Maori custom, can be regarded as law. This week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator, King’s Counsel Gary Judd, disagrees:
“In the Ellis case, a majority of the New Zealand Supreme Court stated that tikanga was ‘the first law’ of New Zealand… [but] ‘tikanga’ cannot be the ‘first’ law because it is not ‘law’ at all…
“The ‘tikanga’ the judgment endorses as ‘first law’ is a set of beliefs, principles of a spiritual nature, a way of life… Beliefs and principles of a spiritual nature are not law. The way of life of some is not part of the law of the land.”
Labour has fundamentally undermined New Zealand’s criminal justice system since coming to power in 2017. The consequences are plain for all to see. It’s fixation with making the Maori incarceration statistics more “equitable” is dangerous. New Zealanders have a right to feel safe, and they must demand better from whoever becomes the government on October 14.
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THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS:
*Should cultural issues be a consideration in the criminal justice system?
*Poll comments are posted below.
*All NZCPR poll results can be seen in the Archive.
THIS WEEK’S POLL COMMENTS
| Definitely not !! Too much of of New Zealand seems to be having to bend over backwards re ” cultural issues ” under tis government | Logan |
| In a single word, no. New Zealanders are supposed to be treated equally under the law. When culture is mentioned it is concerning only one culture and for the advantage of that culture. Basically, cultural reports become a ‘get out of jail free’ card for violent maoris. All New Zealanders have heritage from other parts of the world and we should be treated the same. This Labour-led administration has been soft on crime, but the government and police have an agenda to destroy shooting sports in this country. Never mind the firearms held by criminals. | Gavin |
| And I Maori voter. | Denis |
| The Law has to be the same for every person in the community! If a criminal is of a different culture, that is not a justification to change anything. Those people need to correct their behavior to match the expectations of the country and society they are living in! | Hyugh |
| No never , It appears lawless maori have their own judicial system. ( Co governance already here now ) violent maori are now set free to continue their crimes against the rest of us including law abiding maori. Labour, Greens, Maori Party and corrupt judges are to blame for the deaths and attacks on the NZ public. This lot will be held accountable come October. The sleeping giant ( NZ public has finally awoken ) | Allan m |
| Cultural issues have nothing to do with the law, and after 150yrs, Maori should be integrated into local society. This doesn’t mean Maori should forsake their culture, but the law is made for the safety of all and should be applied to all in the same way. | Sue |
| If someone does a crime, they do the time. Time for equality of NZ’ers | Judith |
| No absolutely not, it’s the consideration of all that B’S that’s led to the appallingly lawless state New Zealand has become | Flip |
| A crime is a crime no matter what. Indian culture have honour killings to name just one example, do we accept that? We do not so if culture is relative to whose culture it is then culture cannot rate in sentencing. One law for all. | Christina |
| If you commit crime you should face consequences | Alan |
| One race…the Human Race. | Russ |
| Ideology as practiced by Kelvin Davis is not culture. The intellectual development part of culture is certainly missing. People like Matu Reid probably didn’t even practice Maori culture. Cultural reports are just a cop-out, paid for by the taxpayer. | Monica |
| Do the crime, do the time, and it MUST be appropriate to the crime committed. Death for murder, not 4 years | mike |
| TV | Brian |
| Certainly not. Maori must live by the rules of NZ like the rest of us and if they infringed them do time for the crime | Sidwell |
| we are a multi culture society and should all be treated as equal human beings | john |
| No Not really. But If the moral compass that that surrounds a person in every day life results in one being a subject in the criminal justice system then clearly elements of behaviour are not acceptable to society as a whole in this day and age. So wake up and get with the game. Civilisation doesn’t have two sets of rules. Conversely you could say yes and build more prisons. And address the moral compass that surrounds the issue which may be a culture issue | Bruce |
| If a killers culture is to murder someone how can that be taken into account for a discount? | David |
| working on the premise that everyone is treated as equal, then if you do the crime, you do the time. | noel |
| We are supposed to be all treated equally under n z law | Iain |
| Cultural backgrounds should not be considered and whatever laws apply to other than Maoris and Islanders is an abomination, We others are entitled to equal treatment with the victims getting the help and attention, not the offenders. | Ian |
| No, I don’t believe cultural issues should be a consideration in the criminal justice system or any other system. We are all New Zealanders our ancestors all arrived here from other countries therefore we should all be treated as such. I am totally over the special treatment given out on the basis of a particular culture in this country, Prezzy cards, McDonalds, KFC , tickets to games, food parcels and many more. What have they done with all the settlement money the taxpayers have paid out over years ? | Gayle |
| Definitely no. Just a free out of jail card for violent maori. Rest of us are no longer safe. All violent criminals must be jailed. Labours all for criminals approach has failed spectacularly. Labour has caused deaths and thousands of assaults and gun crime. This Govt Labour, Greens, Maori parties have failed New Zealanders. | Kevin M |
| Never, just look at the statistic’s. Not working. we need the same laws for all people regardless of our colour. | Heather |
| There may be cultural issues that may have a bearing on an individual’s case before he courts but that depends on the circumstances of each case and should not pervert the justice due in that case. | Pieter |
| No. Of course not. We all live in the same country and should be subject to the same laws. This is just an exercise in making excuses for law breakers. I am guessing lawyers have a big hand in this. I have always been led to believe that a cornerstone of our laws is that “ignorance of the law is not an excuse.” Has this basic premise changed? | Gary |
| Victim impact, protecting the public, punishment and rehabilitation should be the focus. | Andrew |
| It is desperately troubling that maori/iwi have separate rights in our justice system,It must be very difficult for the Police and Judiciary to have to treat one race differently | Kay |
| This statement, is not an accurate statement…. the justice system surely, is not a criminal justice system…? the statement is misleading. | David |
| No never. When you hear about culture in New Zealand it is only concerning Maori and of course only for their advantage. | Eric |
| Irrespective of race convictions should NOT be considered | Toni |
| Every criminal could claim a cultural consideration of some sort. It doesn’t have to be about race. It could be about religion, family culture, neighbourhood culture and so on. Do the crime, do the time. | Fiona |
| A race based judicial system is unacceptable in any democracy. | Gavin |
| No. You do the crime, you do the time. Step into your accountability. | Teresa |
| Now that globalism, has been rammed down our throats, YES… cultural issues must be part of the REAL justice system, | David |
| Definitely not. | Rosemary |
| I cannot understand why this stuff is nor front page news in our mainstream newspapers and heading TVNZ News CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THAT PLEASE!! | michael |
| One Law One People. The criminal’s social and cultural background should become part of the educational transition back into the community, not just released with a goodbye. | Ian |
| Thought we we are all NEW ZEALANDERS regardless of being white, black, asian etc so why are the courts bring up if you are a hori you get away with murder while the rest get hammered, these so called judges need a boot up the backside listening to this bullshit that the hori minister of justice has brought in with help of ardern/hipkins and the other bent polys, roll on Oct when they will all be down the road. | Richard |
| Please, cut out the rubbish Maori hocus pocus and get back to NZLaw | Peter |
| Anyone who breaks the law should be treated in exactly the same way, regardless of whatever their culture happens to be | Richard |
| How stupid, unprofessional and divided do you want to be ? Are you not aware of the grave you are digging ? Please stop digging. | Henk |
| Of course not. The false movement of kindness is an invisible shield that hides the false compassion of the privileged few who have false concerns of the problematic bad perpetrators of their cruel crimes. They have no feelings for the devastated victims who they consider are people from the privileged class in any case. The way to put a stop to all this juvenile nonsense is to use the Singapore rattan around the backsides of these little mongrels. | Geoffrey |
| Absolutely not!! | Alastair |
| Absolutely not.. One law to cover every one in New Zealand’s multi race population. No favourites. When convictions are made why are huge discounts given to the criminal and the victim are cast aside without any sign of compassion. | Cyril |
| even the treaty says equal under the law.?? | john |
| we are all one | Alan |
| NO,NO,NO. The law applies to all no matter the ethnicity of the offender. | Robina |
| NZ law deals with people offending not the colour of their skin or their beliefs. | Rod |
| Never; there is one law and all people are equal before it, even the Minister of Justice. | Peter |
| One person one vote All citizens are equal | Murray |
| This beggars belief!! | Marie |
| Racism in any form must not be tolerated | Richard |
| I had a troubled background with a broken family. Why have I not turned out a criminal? Personal choice, perhaps. | Barry |
| All people should be treated equally and within the laws of New Zealand. A soft touch approach to any culture will never deter offending. | Gary |
| Do the crime! Do the time! Is an old adage that still applies to this present day. Liebour has let crime go rampant in New Zealand and lawlessness needs the brakes slammed on hard. European Maori or what ever your race is. | Wayne |
| The law is the law. If Maori believe it should be changed then they need to make the effort to change it: not subvert it as they currently do. | Peter K |
| We should not have different penal results based on “cultural issues” which are not defined in law. | Robert |
| Normal justice for all under the law | Jeremy |
| One law for everyone | Brian |
| Absolutely NO and someone for goodness sake get a grip on reality before this country disappears down the tube ! | John |
| Treat everyone as equal, as the treaty states. Take the kid gloves off now. Lock the politicians up as well, they are criminally libel. | larry |
| If you do the crime you have to do the time irrespective of which culture you are from. | Ken |
| We have laws in this land and they should be adhered to not tribalism taking over. Do we want to revert to uncivilized times that existed prior to European arrival. Apparently Iwi do. Violence, anger and lawlessness is being encouraged to exist in a certain ethnic minority in NZ, Including the vile anger and hatred that is demonstrated in that ridiculous Haka performed by the All Blacks that sends out a very unsporting signal to the world who watch it. | Leon |
| do the crime, do the time, what the hell is this government doing to New Zealand,they so need to be voted out,they have to stop all this pandering to maori,who are not indigenous and do not deserve any preferential treatment. | rodger |
| No – justice is blind i.e. we are all equal before the law. Cultural considerations make some of us more equal than others! Do the crime, do the time. whether you are black white or brindle! | David |
| Absolutely not, a Criminal is a Criminal regardless of Ethnicity | Laurel |
| Certainly not! One law for ALL regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, region or gender identity. Do the crime do the time – no excuses | John |
| So called “cultural issues” are a world view based on superstition and I have no need of superstition. | Ray |
| Not as they are currently applied | Maureen |
| How can Maori Culture be defined. ? Does it have a original culture of peace – I think not. The British foundation for its Subjects – has served its many commonwealth countries including NZ well. | Maurice |
| BUT.whose culture, seems to be weighted towards Maori, crime is crime, the end. | Colleen |
| Thank goodness for your commonsense approach to shining light on this madness. | Christopher |
| We are all equal. | Marie |
| Race-based policies have divided the country. | Marie |
| so called maori elite are just whit trash masquerading as maori white trash as they are mostly white | donald |
| Yes , but only if relevant to the charge. | Allan |
| Well possibly, but only if there was evidence to suggest that by including culture in the criminal justice system there was a definite drop in crime. This is not the case. It is obvious that if we are to live in a democracy where we are all treated equally under the same law, regardless of culture then this Government must go. All these race based policies are creating ill feeling, we need to get to a place where all cultures respect each other or at least give it a bloody good go, so we can move on. Stand up people and as Winston Peters said take your country back. | Rob |
| We should all be under the same umbrella of the law one law for all and all equal | Paul |
| If culture is a consideration the only fair thing is to consider every culture. Many other cultures have tolerance for practices we find abhorrent or criminal. | Christina |
| One Law. One People. One Country. One Community. | Deirdre |
| As always..under hand,behind closed doors..this govt.is SOOOO corrupt.. These woke judges who have obviously been bought should be removed..DISGRACEFUL | Peter |
| One law for all | Roy |
| The LAW is THE LAW. You fight the law…the LAW WINS! I it must be so, to protect the populace. | Glyn |
| The victim should be the only person consulted. Nothing else matters. Send the worst offenders to North Korea for some prison education. | Chris |
| Government sell out | Roger |
| One law for all. That’s what it is all about isn’t it? Apparently not | Neil |
| get real! | gerard |
| If someone runs loose with a gun, I don’t care what his or her cultural beliefs are. Stop that person from doing it again. It is back to the old story, “He’s depraved on account of he’s deprived.” | Paloma |
| Discretion is always available to be applied to all and sundry including all races | robin |
| Certainly not. The whole country is being held at ransom by these shamans. We’ve had a gutsful. And that’s not racist just a fact. | Andrew |
| Where would you stop? Just consider all the conflicting Religions and sects, all the political viewpoints sincerely held. Justice is about preventing crime [social policies] – parental education/support]; catching criminals and suitable punishment. [eg cleaning off graffiti, planting trees in arson-destroyed fields etc. and prison/prison work, psych. programmes, for violent offences. And no presumptions of guilt .. proper, unbiased police work. There are/have been, too many innocent people shut up in prison for years – declaring innocence, refusing to “admit guilt” proof of guilt in our system. | Rochelle |
| How have come to this What a micky mouse country NZ has become Our forebearers sacrifice for a bunch of loosers | Peter |
| we all note that Maori having wrong done to them stop at nothing to get revenge | Robin |
| No. The politician who states: All mention of RACE within our laws and legislation will be removed forthwith; including any or advantage of one race over another to access to Health treatment, justice and education any form will be illegal; including co-governance with unelected groups in the democratic process of New Zealand. Stand up for democracy and a needs based color blinds society. The tipping point has passed. | Sam |
| Absolutely NO. Cultural beliefs have never been law! | Mark |
| Not normally except in exceptional circumstances. we are one people! | Tony |
| Perhaps things would change if Matu Reid’s victims families sued the police, sentencing judge and justice minister things may change. | Hugh |
| NO: everyone should be treated equally under the law! | Peter |
| Absolutely not – customs are a name by name only, not a right. Law is right.! | Helen |
| Absurd. | Caren |
| Lets stop this racist nonsense.one age aggression has no place in N Z. | norman |
| Absolutely not. | Murray |
| 1 law in this country for all. | Rod |
| Justice must be colour blind | Grant |
| More brainless tinkering by Labour | Paul |
| There has to be some account taken of the shocking homes these juvenile offenders come from but they still need to be held to account and there should be consequences for their offending. | Janet |
| Absolutely NO this again is totally Racist and will never solve the problem. | Russ |
| one rule of law for all. | Jason |
| I am a part New Zealand Maori, and I am very concerned at using race as a basis for unequal treatment for those how break the law of the land. We need to all be treated equally and if we choose to offend race. We must all be treated the same. Race is not an excuse to break any law. There are too many people in parliament with racial agender. is not a consideration. | Alan |
| We are all New Zealanders living under one law – that is our culture – break the law there are consequences. | Clive |
| Just follow the money on this one. It’s yet another rort to divert taxpayer monies to iwi privileged few, nothing to do with ‘justice’, or community safety. | Tony |
| The justice system is about applying the ‘law’. Making the law can (and should) take into account cultural issues, but not the justice system, it should simply apply the law.. | Murray |
| Another scam ! | John |
| Colonization as an excuse for shocking behavior is a crock of the proverbial. I recently said to a group that off the top of my head I could not think of any country that had not been colonized at some stage. One of the group said Thailand. I am sure there are others but very few and is colonization an excuse for anti-social crime and behavior in any other country. Maybe Canada? – which speaks volumes! | mark |
| New Zealand should be colour-blind when it comes to race | David |
| We should ALL be treated EXACTLY the same! | Sylvia |
| Surely there is one law for all otherwise we will have disunity across the country and an increase in racism. | Brian |
| We are all New Zealanders and everyone should be treated the same | Neil |
| You comet the crime you do the time. No discount for any thing. Prison is not a holiday facility. | Gary |
| Never. We share all the benefits and problems of living in this country under one set of laws. The law must apply equally to all people in the country. The law in any country would be just a nonsense it it did not apply equally to everyone, including those claiming to be “Maori”. | Rob |
| No way, the crime is a crime against all people and does not warrant any special consideration | David |
| Not under any circumstances. The justice system for Maori was knock them on the head and eat them. | Don |
| Dangerous | Wiremu |
| If you contravene the law, expect to suffer the consequences! | Brian |
| I am so sick of this stupid Government, but how will the incoming government manage to change ALL the bad laws this labour government has brought in? | Elizabeth |
| Look no further than the US for racial profiling delivering lawlessness created by weak to non existent prosecutions soaring. Racial profiling was deemed wrong in police searches. Now it’s good? | Kevin |
| NO! Some maori are reverting back to their violent savagery of the past and Labour are condoning it with no jail sentences. Maori just sent home to continue their crime while all other races go to jail ( including the poor farmer ). There are no words for Labours destruction of this country. Although betrayal and treason come to mind. | Kevin |
| Hell no, you do the crime then you do the time no matter what ethnicity you are. It’s statistically proven time and again that Maori just don’t want to know, they are culturally still living in the 1840’s and have had all the opportunities to fit into modern society like everyone else. Do they want to? Hell no. All they want is to keep going back in time to the Treaty – time they woke up and moved into the 21st century instead of being a race of no hopers and activists. | John |
| equal justice for all. | stewart |
| Absolutely not. You do the crime you do the time, regardless of your culture. The maori view of law is a set of beliefs, principles of a spiritual nature, a way of life and NOT a law because it’s based on spiritual beliefs and principles. | Kerry |
| There are many cultures in New Zealand (not that you would know it with the way that this Govt carries on), therefore do we consider all other cultural needs and how them do we administer the law fairly. This is utter rubbish. | Glenda |
| Regardless of upbringing everyone knows right from wrong. | Claire |
| Subjective bullshit. | alan |
| One people, one set of laws. If Maori were to strictly apply their “tikanga” offenders would no doubt suffer very much more serious penalties | Bruce |
| Commit the crime, do the time – regardless of “troubled” backgrounds | Hilary |
| I like many other Kiwi’s are sick to death of this cultural clap trap being used as an excuse to further the silent coup d’etat taking place in New Zealand. | Brent |
| Maori need to take responsibility for their actions. Violence within the family needs to be address by the greater family and is not acceptable. This is Maori culture 300 years ago. This is why Maori chiefs wanted a treaty in the first place. | Tony |
| ONE LAW FOR ALL | peter |
| Its BS | Chris |
| Another example of divide and rule | rob |
| why? give me one good reason | Erin |
| We are all one people. | Peter |
| Absolutely not | Valda |
| Potentially but only if applied to all cultures rather than just Maori and as this is an unlikely approach, I have to vote no | R |
| We need to understand and become a colourless society, obviously one law for all. We all have the same opportunity regarding education opportunities. | Owen |
| Definitely not. Scum are scum and all lowlifes should receive harsh punishment for their crimes regardless of culture. This government don’t give a damn about the victims. | Des |
| Not if we want a law abiding, safe society where people people are held accountable for their actions, rather than Anarchy were feckless wanna be gangster’s carry illegibly imported hand guns to shootdown people that dish them, as they expect to get home detention once the long list of excuses are presented to the court. | John |
| this is exactly why …..along with total mismanagement of the country New Zealand is entering third world status | Roy |
| Commit the crime do the time | Kevin |
| I despair for this country New Zealand. The obsession with everything maori. They have failed as a race & like to blame the white man/colonization for all their troubles, when frankly they bring it all upon themselves. I see white flight looming. | Karen |
| ridiculous nonsense | Maxwell |
| One law for all. We all know the rules. | Susan |
| One law for all no matter what colour your skin is do the crime to the time. | Jake |
| We are all New Zealanders | Ronny |
| Time for victims to be put first not criminals do the crime do the time regardless of ethnicity I fear that vigilantism is not far away | Wayne |
| A crime is a crime. cultural issues are not an excuse. | Marc |
| Absolutely not. Every person should be treated equally under the law. If a person commits a criminal offence, the punishment should be the same no matter the cultural background of the offender. It is an absolute disgrace the lack consideration the victims of crime are given. The current justice and corrections systems need a major overhaul. They are definitely failing to protect law abiding citizens. | Karen |
| NO, we are all ONE people in this country and the sooner some of us remember that the better off we will all be. | COLIN |
| These are not statutes or any part of even a treaty consideration when becoming ‘a British citizen ‘ | Al |
| Is Tikanga going to be used for non-Maori in court cases and how will it be defined and has any thought been given to the victim, especially when the perpetrator may be back on the streets in a period too short for effective rehabilitation and thus able to reoffend? | John |
| Definitely NOT. | Noel |
| The justice system must be colour blind. In saying that Maori want their own justice system but like everything else they require all of us to pay for it all not them. Maybe they’re already colour blind to one race only The swamp needs a clean out, we have far too many leftist judges pandering to whatever they’re fed. Thanks Helen Clarke for starting that loading of the benches. | Carolyn |
| Time to ditch the excuses and have a punishment for the crime. If there is a track record add more. | Graham |
| Possibly for non violent or no victim crimes (eg drunk and disorderly, smoking pot etc) but then only for a first offence. | Bruce |
| Definitely not. | John |
| Do the crime, pay the time for all. | Terrena |
| The Labour Party have almost destroyed our country New Zealand – wake up people | Dianne |
| Tikanga law is a joke It’s just a collection of myths and legends | Geoff |
| The law is the law. If I break the law my cultural background, beliefs and/or values are irrelevant. If I’ve done the crime I should do the time. My culture should not be a mitigating factor. The law applies to all of us equally. We all have the same rights and responsibilities. | Wendy |
| absolutely not the law is there for all. All this rubbish needs to be removed permanently | Nigel |
| Undemocratic same as co-governance and same as The Voice. No place for any of them. | Peter |
| Treat everyone as equals | Beverley |
| Everyone should be treated the same, including past and present All Black rugby players | Chris |
| Under no circumstances | Rob |
| Doesn’t appear to have worked so far | Sue |
| You cannot give rights to anyone without removing rights from another! If cultural rights are considered for one, then the cultures of others cannot be considered. The world has gone mad and we are leading the charge! Our Justice system is already failing to protect our law abiding citizens in favour of supporting criminals – throwing culture into the mix is another nail in our coffin! | Martin |
| The early whalers and sealers along with the early missionaries all had the same opinion of Maori. They lied and cheated the settlers by multiple sales of the same plot of land. They still lie and cheat today. | Steve |
| We are one people | Patrick |
| we are supposed to be all one people | Ian |
| No way should this even be considered | Philip |
| Never ever. | Ken |
| Absolutely Not! | Carol |
| There is either right or wrong, no matter the culture. | Annette |
| Do crime, do time | Dave |
| One law for all is the fairest way. | William |
| But only to a limited degree and NOT JUST FOR MAORI otherwise there is extreme racism like Hitler Stalin And Pol POt etcetc | Stephen |
| No way. | Tim |
| A total rort | Phil |
| The criminal justice system should deal only with harmful acts where equity and restoration is required. These are universal matters and therefore are justice being seen to be done between two parties. It might be a cultural matter when the sides are in the same culture. However, an immigrant by arriving here enrols in the law that is extant here. Therefore the boundary between Maori and “the rest” is undefined only now if Tikanga is believed to have a say. Otherwise Rule of law is administered according to common law. Legislation by parliament is not law, but is administered in the courts. Those courts, before trial would thus need to determine the type of justice that they are to administer ie Common Law (trial by Jury). Infractions (Trial by Judges). Trial according to some religious code cannot be allowed as this is a protestant country and when a person immigrates to NZ it automatically implies they come under protestant law of NZ. by virtue of them deciding to live here.. This is but a nibble at the matter, but I hope it lays the fundamentals of what is at hand. . | Stephan |
| NO, that doesn’t work for non maori as we don’t have a ‘culture’ so to speak. When are these ‘culture people ‘ going to grow up and realise that when you turn into a teenager you should know right from wrong and take the consequences of your decisions. That’s what happens to the rest of New Zealand citizens. We don’t hide behind stoneage culture. You do the crime you do the time. Giving time off a sentence is a joke. | Peter |
| One rule 4 all | matt |
| Absolutely not! | Chris |
| But not ‘racial issues’. Cultural issues are considered alongside the personal, family, whanau and community background of an offender for sentencing. Cultural matters may well be relevant, for example a tourist with poor English language may have been confused about some legal obligation and that should be considered. Unfortunately, the law has been designed to allow Maori assessors (often without any qualifications apart from their race) to put forward ideas the Court can use to excuse Maori offenders to some extent simply for being Maori. | John |
| He is lying | Rick |
| Never, Ever! EVER! | Gee |
| Only ever in a grossly bigoted APARTHEID “System*?” That the ENTIRE WORLD DENOUNCED as corrupt, bigoted and nonsensical way back in the 1950’s, it took WAAAYYY Longer for the evil that is apartheid to be removed from the last bastion of that evil, corrupt enclave: South Africa, with the respect, and patience of Nelson Mandela… Why the hell would the native “Zulu’s” what to start over AGAIN, especially when proven this racial segregation, simply does not, never will, even by magic ever work for TRUEST Inclusion of ALL! Wake the F up! The IGNORANCE,CVIRTUE SIGNALLING AND OUTRIGHT CONTEMPT for a truly Equal Society is Abhorrent, created by a bigoted, racially driven covert operation from the NON-ELECTED. FO! Corrupt money-grabbing, twisted thieves! And what’s Worse= YOU KNOW IT! | Graham |
| One and the same law for all. Belief systems, being different for every individual,cannot be the basis of a common law. | charles |
| We are all under one justice system for all New Zealanders and that means ALL! | Steve |
| Do the crime; do the time. | Mark |
| Not in the current go soft approach to crime. Certainly need to do more rehabilitative programmes in prison | Charles |
| Absolutely not | Peter |
| A thief is a thief, whatever their culture. A murderer is a murderer whatever their culture too, as is every other crime. We should be one Nation with one court system to hold us equally to account. for our behavior. Bring back Corporal Punishment I say, for all crimes of theft committed by persons over the age of 10, as a starter. | Vic |
| Do the crime, do the time!!! | Dennis |
| We’ll get what we get | Iain |
| I do not believe they should or need to be considered in the justice system as it now stands! at present the system is totally corrupt and is an illegal system! I we restore the Common Law Trial By Jury system there will be absolutely no need for cultural issues to be set in any Law. check this link out for some clarity, https://www.democracydefined.org/democracydefinedmaterial.htm | peter |
| Absolutely irrelevant to the issue of crime. Naughty children need to learn that bad behaviour leads to consequences, not a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket. | Mark |
| No! No! And I am Pacifika! | Walnetta |
| Moari are misguided in there thinking of all matters. | Anthony |
| If you do the crime ,you MUST do the Time.. The court is not a supermarket where you can get discounts. | Don |
| No No No Anyone could claim cultural beliefs to if not get them off certainly get them a much lesser sentence. You, I and everyone else live in NZ and therefore live under NZ law | T |
| Every person must be EQUAL – anything else is racist ! | Hylton |
| No, we are all equal & taking personal responsibility for one’s actions is sadly lacking today but perpetrators of crime must be made to be accountable for their actions & not continually blame what may or not have happened their past. It’s time the victims voices & rights were upheld. | Loretta |
| Responsibility is the key to a fair justice system | Bruce |
| Definitely not !!!!!! What utter rubbish. The “cultural” bull has already gone way too far and must be stopped and any existing “cultural” laws etc got rid of. | Alan |
| …..but why discriminate against the other cultures of the country? | Dennis |
| NOT for serious offences | martin |
| It’s blindingly obvious for all to see that Maori offending is the sole reason they make up 50 % of the jail population, not racism. Matu Reid is now their poster child and an object lesson that idiotic Labour has wilfully endangered us all. The answer to the problem? SORRY, just build more prisons and keep these violent thugs locked up where they belong. Maori are terminally incapable of controlling their people. Unfortunately for the rest of us, low impulse-threshold and violence is has always been endemic in their ‘culture’. The idea that ‘cultural considerations’ be taken into account when sentencing them for their egregious violence is pure pablum. What we all want to know is how did Reid the murderer get his weapon? Predictably, lawful firearms owners are already being shamelessly blamed by the media and politicians will now use this heinous crime to justify confiscation of pump-action shotguns. | John |
| If cultural issues are to be considered, then all peoples of New Zealand should be considered ,not just a minority group of once immigrants (Maori) to New Zealand | Paul |
| One People one vote one law British Law was accepted as New Zealand’s Law. . Nothing has changed | Kenneth |
| Why should cultural Issues reduce sentences especially Violent Offences. This Labour Government has put more serious criminals back on the street than any previous Government and the end results have resulted in much more crime!! | Frank |
| You commit a crime, you do full time regardless of your race or upbringing | Julie |
| Definitely not! | Alastair |
| We all should be equal, if you commit the crime you do the time. | Rina |
| One set of laws for all | Ken |
| Look at the results- no more to say! | John |
| one law for all regardless of ethnicity…there is no other option in a democracy ! | Nev |
| Another example of entrenched Apartheid in New Zealand. We can only hope that enough voters WAKE UP and vote only for Parties who recognise democracy as signed up for by both Maori & Pakeha in the Treaty of Waitangi. breaching that Treaty must surely be considered treason. The T.O.W clearly states, “We are now ONE people under British law.” | A.G.R. |
| Same laws for all regardless of culture | Brian |
| We are ONE nation of many cultures. Let’s be progressive & go forwards. | Doug |
| Any Court issue should be entirely dealt with as a Criminal Offence, without taking any cultural considerations. Judgements should be given strictly, with little consideration for any discount for good previous behaviour. This wet bus ticket attitude most stop! | Roy |
| We all know that Maori are a race of low intelligence, but they still use the poor me, and we had a bad experience growing up and they use it for all their worth, and we are sick of all this bullshit. The worst thing of all is that the justice system goes along with it. | Peter |
| Aussies looking good to retire to | Russell |
| Once again this Liebour Govt is constantly twisting the Laws to suit part-maori customs & beliefs, they are NOT LAWS as Judd KC says. I have read the longer version of Judd’s article & he has nailed the truth behind yet further moves by the Maori Caucus & iwi elite to manipulate laws which have serviced this country called NZ for many years, but some radical activists continue to blame everyone else for ALL their misdeeds while breaking these laws. The parents of these offenders have to surely shoulder much of the responsibility for children’s crimes & be fined, especially those under aged 18…! | Bruce |
| These ridiculous policies are sending nz to the dogs. Crime is crime, should be treated and dealt with the same regardless of race. | Andrew |
| Cultural only applies to having part Maori ancestry I presume. What discounts would an extreme Muslim or other religious zealot get from a NZ judge for a violent crime? Turn it around. If background is a discountable factor why can’t jurors get advised what the previous convictions are when considering a current crime? Works both ways eh Bro. | Creed |
| definitely not | David |
| Speechless. WE are already working under an reverse old South Africa political regime controlled by the tribal leaders | Shaun |
| Many people with similar “bad childhoods” have become very worthwhile citizens and great role models for young Maori without resorting to crime. | Helen |
| We must have laws that work for all of this nations citizen’s, not this one for your culture and another for that. | Maurice |
| Absolutely not – if you do the crime, you do the time, regardless of race, religion etc | david |
| Individuals should be accountable for their actions. Shifting the blame to family members is an easy option which favours the wrongdoer without doing anything about the supposed causes of their offending in other words a free pass. The cycle has to be broken somewhere. | Terry |
| The criminal justice system should be the same for all who break the law, regardless of race.This is obviously the reason why so many perpetrators of the law get away with a ‘wet bus ticket’. This has got to change to improve every law abiding citizen’s safety. | Marga |
| If it is to be then what about other cultures including european | bill |
| To do so is Racism! | Dianne |
| Another pandering to Maori they are an aggressive race of people and shows in our prison population if they were not so aggressive they would not be so much of the prison population | russell |
| Let’s be victim-centric and off load the racist follies perpetuated by this woeful government | Richard |
| A case of further dividing the country by race. If the powers to be want NZ to have two classes of citizenship, one being people claiming a percentage of Maori blood and everyone else being NEW ZEALANDERS, then so be it, so long as “us others” have the right to defend ourselves from any crime committed by the other group What a bloody disgrace this Government has created. | Barry |
| WE are one in God’s eyes. Are we greater than God that we can divide by race? It is not the race that determines it is what is in each persons heart that determines what they say and do. | Dave |
| How can any government justify that your ethnicity or up bringing can excuse or discount your punishment for knowingly reaking the law. When the Waitangi Treaty was signed the agreement meant that Maori would have the same rights british citizens. It also meant that if they broke the law They would face the same consequences and punishment. | Peter |
| One nation, one law, one system for all. | Daniel |
| Too much emphasis on the criminal and no consideration for the victim. Absolutely appalling. | Laura |
| Everyone to be treated the same | RAY |
| The Law should be totally colour blind. | Michael |
| Racist judges | Greg |
| One law and one nation – stop the stupidity. | Rob |
| In a modern society the same laws should apply to everyone, regardless of culture. All offenders should suffer the same consequences where crime is concerned. | Lynne |
| I have always believed you do the crime you do the time irrespective of who you are and reparation to the victim/s | Rod |
| Remove them from society permanently, an island in the pacific? | chris |
| WE NEEDD TO GET RIID OF ANYTHING THAT LABOUR HAS INSTIGATED! | WILL |
| everyone has had a culture of some sort in their ancestry | linda |
| Whilst I agree that a person’s background and upbringing (or lack of the latter) can have an effect on their later life path, these things must not be used as an excuse to get lighter sentencing. Our son got into trouble with the law for a list of offences when he was a teenager and received a 3-1/2- year sentence of which he served 15 months. He, with help of family and friends, turned his life around before he was sent to prison. He now manages a foodbank ministry on behalf of his church, and is instrumental in helping others to rehabilitate. He says, “do the crime; do the time”. | Laurence |
| All tried equally, not on race ethnicity or religion nor on poor upbringing etc. | Derek |
| The only consideration to be considered is the offence. | William |
| Do the crime, do the full time. Maori chiefs went to England and begged for British law as Maori lore wasn’t working. | Terry |
| All should obey the law. | Graham |
| Certainly not. Tikanga is not law, it is not even consistent among Maori who hale from several different origins and who are of mixed race as well. So it is all rubbish and extremely dangerous. Culture used to be regarded as a superior level of education, erudition and refinement. “Maori culture” is an oxymoron. It is based on tribalism … probably the most obnoxious and unjust form community structure. | dianna |
| Most certainly NOT! This is disgusting! A terrible out come. Not equitable at all, certainly not for victims! | Valerie |
| You do the crime, you do the time! | Ray |
| One law for all NZ citizens,nothing else is acceptable. All it is,is about Labour increasing the Maori vote for Labour. | John |
| It’s rubbish | David |
| I am tired of the fact that everything tends to now be race based | roger |
| Definitely not | Barbara |
| NO NO NO NO!!!!! Typical of this bunch of dropkicks we have for a government. Your average kiwi has had a gutsful of this moari racist crap.By average kiwi I mean not just euro kiwis but all non maori kiwis.Most of us are hard working and honest and are getting sick and tired of propping up these useless pricks who don`t want to work to earn their living. So yes one country one people with same laws applying to all. A couple of suggestions if I may, pass a law which if any male commits more than 3 crimes he is neutered just to make it perfectly clear his testicles are removed.He can no longer breed so cannot replace himself with another criminal As a bonus he should become less feisty and less likely to cause problems,if he does shove him onto one of Shane Jones prison ships (good idea that one Shane) To start the ball rolling we must first dump these arseholes in power now. i.e Labour greens moari partys. To do this we need National, Act and NZ First to work together not against each other for the good of NZ and its people. All three namely Luxon , Seymour ,and Peters need to be taken round the back of the garage and have your heads banged together. Put aside your differences and unite for the good of your country. GO KIWIS | brian |
| In 1840 many Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi on behalf of their people. This then gave them the same rights and privileges as all colonists residing in New Zealand. Therefore there was one law for all. The same sentencing for all. Why has it now changed. Nobody asked me if I minded, I am sure the majority of New Zealanders were asked. Therefore as far as I am concerned the sentencing rules should be changed back to what they were in 1840. | Dennis |
| I am totally shocked by this information on such blatant bias in our court system! It must change!! | Janet |
| The irony is NZ has become more and more like APARTHEID South Africa. That didn’t end well for South Africa and it won’t end well in NZ. | Geoff |
| Cultural issues did not factor in at the crime. Maori are letting their people get away with murder..Perhaps we should all, as a matter of course, arm up.Give dairy owners a loaded gun. After the first shooting of ream raiders we’ll have peace. | Jenny |
| Justice for all | Gordon |
| The law should be applied equally to everyone. | James |
| The LAW cannot takes culture into account. If it did then as a Christain I might get special treatment. If we apply Maori culture will the justice system tolerate, canabalism, slavery and even inter tribal warfare? | David |
| All New Zealanders have different history and cultures. This has nothing to do with the law of the land. Commit an offence and be punished accordingly. This new cultural interference in law is purely apartheid. | Diana |
| Will the last one to leave turn out the light.What a bloody joke how can 16% tell the rest of the population how we are to live,one people one law . | Barry |
| It’s just bullshit | Allan |
| Just fantasy | Tom |
| One law for all people | Barbara |
| No way | James |
| Why should it??? Then we had to consider 200 plus ethnicities living in New Zealand to be considered too if one wanted to be fair. But that is not the point is it?? It is about radical and racist marxist elitism which has reared its ugly head and if that menace is going on unchecked we will have massive unrest | Michael |
| NO! Do the crime….. DO THE TIME! We, here in New Zealand, live under Common Law, NOT Maori Laws. It doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are, if you break the law, then you pay the price. | Heather |
| Crime is crime whatever the colour of skin – they should be sentenced accordingly. I am sick of ‘us’ and ‘them’. This country has gone to the dogs, I’m afraid. Many i speak to don’t want to live here anymore. I am feeling that way. But who is going to sort it? What are they going to do to reduce crime drastically? Sort out the gangs? Drugs, Weapons? We’ve had enough | Kerin |
| This is insanity, Do the crime ,do the time. | Brian |
| No, but you should be used to it by now. There is going to be serious trouble ahead with this self appointed master race. I grew up in a country (and King Country town) we were all one and didn’t know what historical fiction was to be spread and believed. GOD DEFEND NEW ZEALAND! Think before you vote. It may not be long before any comments I make on this page will have to be in Pidgin English. | Bruce |
| If they were, we would have to take into account Indian culture of honour killings. The law should always trump anything else. | Nick |
| No! – I am shocked to see that the Justice system in this country has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent! This appalling deficiency needs to be remedied and fast – otherwise those who have been put upon for far too long may introduce a “Justice” system of their own and it won’t be pretty! | Scott |
| Absolutely NOT. | Jim |
| In the (english) words of Governor Hobson at the signing of the ToW …”We are now one” | Tony |
| One law for all, one punishment code for all. | Alan |
| Everyone must abide by the same laws but obviously not in an apartheid regime such as ours has become | Russ |
| NO! Among those who emigrate are a significant number of those who identify as being a New Zealand Maori. They don’t like being treated as plebians by their tribal hierarchy. The reason why Maori have to be treated like children is due to their past and current leaders greed and incompetence. They simply did not do enough to ensure that all Maori youngsters received essential basic education to enable them to develop along side everyone else. Now the country has to have a great collective of extreme guilt trips to mollycoddle the poor darlings. Because colonisation was too much of a difference to handle the great leap forward into a new fantastic world with it’s wonderful advanced technology and with one of the very best law and order systems on this planet. The Scots were more or less were in a similar position as Maori 200 years ago but they cast the chip of their shoulders, got stuck in to the education thing with many now outdoing what was their colonial sponsors. Come on you guys. Get with plan. It’s not all that hard. It starts from the 1st day at elementary school. | Garry. |
| Maori are trying to bend the law in their favour yet again. One law in NZ for all !! | Kevin |
| Disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful. Davis is a dangerous person. | Bill |
| Absolutely not..their choice to commit a crime..do the crime therefore do the time.. | Chery |
| Of course, under what I believe is still the law justice applies equally to all New Zealand citizens. | Terry |
| We are all equal under the law and should be treated as such. Race, religion etc should not even come I to it. If one person is treated different to another then eventually people will take the the law into their own hands, which we don’t want. What ever a persons race or religion, we are all responsible for our own actions. | Brian |
| Racism of any kind is evil, full stop. | Alan |
| No, we are all New Zealanders and should all be treated the same. Labour’s policies have made things worse. | Fraser |
| Racial discrimination, apartheid, tikanga, and anything else that further divides us as New Zealanders must be outlawed. | Elizabeth |
| Absolutely not. | Terry |
| 1 law for all relative to the crime. | Charles |
| The whole “cultural issue” topic is a farce and is totally abhorrent to a modern democratic way of thinking. This rort should be done away with immediately by a new incoming government. | Chris |
| Shame on labour making NZ an unsafe country to live in. We deserve better representation and leadership. | Mike |
| Pandering to the Maori minority, must stop. Get rid of all Maori seats, the corrupt Waitangi Tibe-unal and Race Relations commission, and remove all references to Maori from our law. Draw a line in the sand that says in NZ every citizen is equal before the law, one person one vote. If someone does a crime, get tough, a criminal in jail cannot continue to commit crimes. If that means more Maori in prison so be it. Its ways past time the majority of NZer’s got a fair deal. | Steve |
| I live in Whangarei. I am really afraid of this direction this government has forced upon the community. I am very afraid of this labour government. | Gillian |
| Definitely not. Democratic principles of equal rights must apply to all. | NEIL |
| we are all one under the law of NZ. | Raewyn |
| It is just plain wrong to even think of considering them. | bRUCE |
| “One Law for All…” Full stop !!! | Chris |
| NO BLOODY WAY, THEY DO MORE CRIME PER HEAD SO THEY SHOULD BE GETTING LARGER SENTENCES TO WAKE THEM UP! | Laurie |
| Who has authorised this criminal changeover without a Parliament Act? The UN and Tikanga are not operative as law in NZ. | Kevin |
| Ardern’s legacy lives on.. She is a traitor to the country. She has divided our country and now the police are under the Maori thumb. Police should be totally independent and left to get on with their job arresting criminals no matter what their race. | Dianne |
| No Simple as that | Michael |
| If you do the crime, do the time, no matter who you are. | Kate |
| Definitely not… | Rhys |
| Neither cultural or religious beliefs have any place in the criminal,justice system. | Gail |
| One law for all… | Mark |
| Cultural issues could possibly be looked at as a cause for example of the offending but not, I believe, as a reason for a “discounted” sentence. Does everybody’s culture get reviewed? What about those that may not have a culture that fits the narrative? | James |
| At the moment cultural issues are bias. They must be applied across all sectors including deeming European as a culture with certain cultural views on diversity and cultural acceptances. | Bob |
| No I believe in a fair and equal consideration and outcome for each individual irrespective of race or religion. | Rosemary |
| Same justice for all | Colin |
| Absolutely not. Do the crime, do the time. No colour discounts! | Graeme |
| What is needed is justice for the crime committed. Keep Race out of it | Frank |
| Crime is crime no matter who you are. Some people are just BAD. | Dick |
| Everyone has a chance to be good. Simple right or wrong it is a decision make the wrong one and you reap the bad outcome. So simple really | Lionel |
| We live under the same laws. At what point does once’s culture including Caucasian or white culture which incapsulates numerous cultures and ancestry be the defining factor? | Angela |
| Definitely not lock the crims up and look after the victim but what do you expect from the marxist government | eric |
| It is openly racist to do so and should definitely not part of democratic law! | John |
| it is racist and must be stopped | leo |
| Law issues should have no exceptions or grey areas, also violent crimes should have min sentences without any other considerations | Stanley |
| No, No, No. A crime is a crime no matter who commits it. The punishment MUST be the same no matter who is involves. | Graeme |
| Absolutely not! | Bev |
| Absolutely not, one country where all people have to be treated equally. This government are nothing but a pack of fools | Tom |
| Definitely not, we are supposed to be one nation and if one is a Maori thats fine that they follow their culture but they do not need to push it on the those who do not want it. Our Govt has been hoodwinked I think so need to be very very careful. | Barbara |
| Definitely not. | Trevor |
| There should be no discounts to sentences for any reason what so ever. Just excuses. | Evan |
| Culture and Law must be separate. Mari cultures runs contra to laws. Laws protect the society from anarchy. Tribal rule has no respect for natural justice | Raleigh |
| Do the crime do the time. People instinctively know right from wrong. Too much woke bollocks in the world today. The hopeful thing is this woke rubbish will be removed in time everything is cyclical and to maintain a societal balance criminals must be held eventually to account as has happened since time began. | Ken |
| Certainly NOT. Time the Maoris on the gravy train grew up. Chinese, Indians, Pasifica and others live the Western life – and have ethic traditions on the side | Gill |
| morally wrong and just another way to milk the system. | Margaret |
| Many people who have difficult backgrounds do not commit crime. Maori people know what is wrong or right we all do this is 2023 not 1800’s. Plus most Maori have at least half another culture in their DNA. This is ridiculous. | Chaquila |
| We are one country in which we all share the same right to justice and education | tony |
| You can not favour, it will bring contempt | Fiona |
| Without us being equal under the law, we will never be united. There will be bitterness and resentment when certain groups based on their DNA have lenient treatment and others do not. | Darryl |
| The iwi they belong to should also be held to account. If financially able, to recompense victim. Certainly the iwi should have accountability. In court the iwi should be named. | margaret |
| Where do you draw the line? Will the same considerations be given to Asians, Africans, Slavs, Europeans etc? | John |
| One law for all. Redefine what constitutes a Maori Less than 50% should be a NEW ZEALANDER | Stan |
| No way, everyone living in this country needs to be treated the same way, under the same system. Some of these judges need a good shake up, they are totally out of touch with society. | Janine |
| I fully agree with your newsletter comments | Donald |
| Thank you for explaining this! I hope this article goes far and wide. It is a travesty that needs exposing and pressure put on parliamentarians to reverse it. | Pamela |
| if you end up in court then you should face the consequences no matter what your background -you do the crime then pay the fine or DO TIME | LesW |
| Just totally obvious REVERSE RACISM which is becoming more and more prevalent in our once wonderful country NEW ZEALAND. Apartheid – here it comes. | Brian |
| It is totally inappropriate as the way of life of NZers is totally different to the past we are living in this time not the past when Maori customs were conducted with Utu. Should we bring back hanging Utu as in the past my answer is yes if that’s what they want. | Andrew |
| Never | Steve |
| Absolutely not. Not only does the current system undermine NZ safety, it also gives the maori a sense of self entitled freedom to do what they wish. | Neville |
| Other than Mosaic Law! | Gary |
| We are a mixture of Cultures. Most people would have a mixture of cultures. All those who are born in NZ are indigenous to NZ. | John |
| So if a culture believes that it is OK to kill someone because of something you think they’ve done to you, then where does it end. Anything goes basically. | Andrew |
| Everyone knows right and wrong. Own it. | DAVID |
| Most certainly NOT | Murray |
| Definitely not, this makes a complete joke of the justice system and the police who administer supposed justice. What happened to the oath to treat people without fear or favour. Unless these issues are addressed there will be civil unrest in this country. | Allan |
| The figures are entirely suspect….so a group is 14% of the total….& based on colour their offending must not be allowed to exceed 14%. This is separation based on racism and completely ignoring the facts of the matter and is also why NZ’s criminal situation has worsened dramatically. | mark |
| Cultural dependency is unhealthy as is mental well being a new dependency. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Next thing we will be claiming against our ancestors for not inter-breeding to give more whites that drip of racial blood. Make of that what you will. | Sharron |
| Not in a democracy -but then Labour/Greens/Maori gave that up years ago in favour of a Maori dictatorship. | Peter |
| When the laws are made any cultural considerations should be part of the law | David |
| one law for all, nothing else | greg |
| HEEL NO DO the crime do the TIME Dont let these Bastards Loose. You can see why Kiwis are moving across the ditch and overseas in big Numbers. Bring on October. | ken |
| Once we start going down this slippery slope there’s no turning back. It needs to be one law for all otherwise this country is doomed | Lawrie |
| We are one country with I hope one justice system for all, well thats my hope….. | Carl |
| Who in gods name do these people think they are they need to stop walking backwards into the future have a good look into themselves turn around and move forward | Warren david |
| Absolute farce! | Michael |
| This is a smokescreen, a Maori elite con and fantasy. It is bull effluent of the highest order. | John |
| We are all NZrs. I am certain my “culture” would not be considered. The victims of crime should have a say in the sentencing. with a multiplying factor instead of a reduction. | Leon |
| No, that is just racist | Alex |
| We all have different ethnic backgrounds but we should all be treated equally, in the eyes of the law. | Ashwin |
| All citizens should be treated equally | Michael |
| Absolutely NOT, unless it applies equally to all cultures in this country. And in a nutshell that means One Law For All which is what we had prior to this government attaining office. | Bruce |
| This “Maori wonderfulness” is really working out well eh!! | neil |
| one for all. | Ann |
| Definitely not. Aren’t we all New Zealanders? | Bob |
| It is just a load of nonsense. | John |
| Crazy | David |
| Should be one law for everyone | Dennis |
| No we are all supposed to Equal as New Zealanders. | Richard |
| It is an excuse for criminal behaviour, leading to more violent offenders being turned loose to commit violent crimes again, but it is escalating because there are little or no meaningful consequences. It is racial discrimination at the highest level. | Helen |
| In what culture has it ever been culturally acceptable to attack a shopkeeper with a hammer or machete because of parental abuse? | Max |
| We must adhere to one law for all | Rod |
| These situations of unfairness serve only to widen the perceived gap between maori and the rest of us. Labour , under the failed leadership of Ardern ( the new world order implant) . NZ will never be a united country until all laws and punishments apply equally to us all and with no exceptions. | fred |
| One law for all!!!! | pdm |
| we are all under the same law | graeme |
| A crime is a crime. Name and shame then the truth will be seen easy. Even youth crime name and shame the families make the parents pay. | KT |
| The Maorification of NZ is a disgrace. | DAVID |
| Same laws for everyone. | charles |
| Definitely not even a 5 year old child knows right from wrong and so do these criminals the place for them is gaols where the learn respect and responsibility also a trade or such and release would be dependent on how well they responded | Peter |
| Absolutely not relevant. Should only consider the crime committed. | Vaughan |
| irrespective of ethnicity age gender everybody knows right from wrong | john |
| Do the crime do the time, really simple | Peter |
| What is National going to do about it? | Rex |
| Equal justice to all. | Robert |
| Until Maori stop teaching their children martial arts which encourage young Maori to be aggressive and war-like nothing will change. They need to grow up and realise that in the 21st century teaching children to be fighting warriors is NOT in keeping with the era we live in. | David |
| That brings in favoritism for maori, as jail sentences are not a deterrent we need to bring in Hard Labour again and build more prisons as these people should not be on the street. | Colin |
| Absolutely NOT. You do the crime – you serve the time. But let’s make sure it is a crime, and not just a protest against unworkable council or government rules that seek to interfere in our private lives and property rights. | Christine |
| This cultural nonsense is being used by iwi to undermine NZ’s criminal justice system while at the same time Iwi are being paid handsomely for it with tax payer money! | greg |
| New Zealand is one nation in which different groups of people from different walks of life live under one administration. We are not different groups getting our own way to suit greed and division. | Ken |
| We all have a cultural background of sorts but the law of the land overrides that | Barbara |
| Absolutely NOT!! We’re all one people under the law. Simple solution…don’t do the crime or do the time. | Tony |
| everyone is equal. | Rob |
| not in the least | Owen |
| The harder the background, the more important that the prison system include rehabilitation training. The harder the background the more likely the person Is to reoffend. Prison is needed, but clearly the way our prisons work isn’t particularly helpful. Surely someone must have some idea how prisons can work to both punish and rehabilitate. | Hilary |
| Do the crime Do the time | david |
| A chicken bone would have more mana than anything the Tiki-whatever rubbish says is law! What an absolute and unbelievable state of un-lawlessness this Labour Government has forced us into. What happened to ‘One Law for All” ??????? Dreaming….. | Robyn |
| Not as applied. All ethnicities have people with troubled childhoods. Valuing education and strong families has to be a big part of lowering crime in the community. | willy |
| Same rules for all | John |
| The results of such a policy are exposing themselves right now, Do the crime, do the time, no matter what your ethnicity | Owen |
| we are NZers not all sorts of races. | barry |
| Total Cost How many? Cost per person $6,500,000.00 2500 $2,600.00 $20,800.00 8 $2,600.00 We all live in NZ today. We only live in the past in our dreams. Creating a new industry and paying that industry. Is theft by government mismanagement. One people one law. That is not in question. Maori Ceded all sovereignty to Queen Victoria. The Crown makes the laws of the land for all. Too steal, is to take what is not yours. Violence, is violence no matter what colour the skin. The punishment must be enough to deter that behavior. If it doesn’t then it has failed to do what it is meant to do. STOP CRIME. | Bob |
| Absolutely not! It’s a rort to make excuses for a particular race that has a propensity to commit crime. The stats don’t lie. For whatever reason, and it most certainly is NOT colonialism, Maori resort to unlawful activities in far higher numbers than their representation in the total population. Maybe it’s their tribal background, affinity to join gangs or something else. By all means try to find out why, but in the meantime lock them up as per the old rules. | Derek |
| Just look at the US for bad outcomes when culture & race are used to mitigate punishment standards. | Andrew |
| NO! One nation .. one people.. one law.. No race bias .. same education system for all.. no excuses.. equal opportunities | kabe |
| nobody is above or beyond the law. | bob |
| common law practice does not provide for any cultural privileges, and has no place in NZ justice | John |
| Hell no! As far as possible the law needs to be clear and certain as should the consequences of breaking the law. Maori myths, legends and cultural beliefs have no place in legislation or court decisions. | Alan |
| Law ought to be absolute and not subject to superstition, creed or any subjective interpretation. | David |
| Definitely not | Ian |
| No the law is absolute | Geoffrey |
| No no no not now not ever and not in a democracy | Kristene |
| This only leads to loss of control and injustice. I read of a Christian boy who was sodomised , murdered and decapitated by four Muslim boys in Afghanistan recently. The Judge released them. Of course the Koran says “kill the unbeliever”. The Maoris are being encouraged to revert to their ancient culture. It is evil and that is the seat of their problem. They were evil cannibals once although they seek to deny this. I am a descendant but fortunately I am a Christian and I hold truth as the highest value along with love. | Harvey |
| Where race based policies are applied the outcomes are without doubt disastrous | Boris |
| No favouritism. Whoever does the crime should do the time, regardless of race. | Sheila |
| It’s Apartheid. | Trevor |
| The statistics hardly show that Maoris are.law abiding citizens.the law should apply equally to all without fear Or favouritism | Alan |
| Please no more of Jacinda mania | Warren |
| A sure way to ensure Maori don’t suffer too much after committing crime | Bryan |
| One law for all, that is how a democratic society is supposed to operate. No racial or ethnic entities should be included.”PERIOD” | Allen |
| The law and justice system should be 100% colour blind | Kerrty |
| Ask the victim if there should be discounts for cultural background. | Gareth |
| Definitely not. Maori are getting a free pass to continue their crimes while non maori are jailed. Words fail me. Labour is the most corrupt, racist , lying, secretive govt ever. Then you hear maori pregnant woman get 50 dollar prezzy cards for attending their checkups. Diabolical and racist. It just gets worse every day this Labour govt is in power. October can’t come soon enough. | Allan |
| We should be all equal under the law. | Pete |
| Everyone should be equal under the law. | Susan |
| Of course not . These thugs want all the benefits of a modern society but none of the consequences if they behave like animals . Omg are we really descending into tribal punishments and lack of any true accountability .Will this ultimately mean cannibalism is ok because they used to do it ? If Davis did his well paid job instead of dribbling on about supposed racism of which me is a major contributor ie the” vanilla eyes” comment to ACT party member (who is actually maori ) What a total dipshit . Goodbye all you wankers come Oct . | Ray |
| Do the crime do the time | Anne |
| NEVER | Collin |
| For civilisation to work cohesively, the same laws must apply equally to all without exception, regardless of societal status, position of power or cultural ethnicity. | Mike |
| you do the crime you do the time, end of story | Morrin |
| Justice must be the same for all! | Bruce |
| A crime is a crime – end of story. | Jim |
| One law and justice system for all. We are in the 21st century not the dark ages and Maori and others know what acceptable standards of behaviour are. To their detriment, they just chose to ignore those social standards. | chris |
| There should be one law for all | Douwe |
| That’s basically apartheid | Warren |
| having had a family member , a victim , I feel like a pawn in a game | jean |
| do the crime do the time | Noel |
| That’s just a blatently racist attempt to appease maori and their tribal aspirations. Everyone, regardless of race or culture, should be treated equally, as that’s the only way New Zealand will survive as a nation. | Trevor |
| this is an excuse for Maori – not any other ‘culture’ – to avoid accountability for their offending. It doesn’t include the cultural expectations of victims, nor the effect on them of violent offending by Maori. do the crime, do the time. Lazy and gutless judges will use this nebulous nonsense to avoid custodial sentences, or any form of accountability for Maori whose culture is based on a foundation of violence in the first place. | Baden |
| absolutely not | mike |
| If you say yes then you need to include all cultures in NZ. In many cultures practices that are abhorrent in NZ are acceptable, therefore to exist as modern colour blind democracy we must exclude cultural considerations from the justice system | Ihaia |
| Labour’s embrace of everything Maori is ruining the country. Maori commit more crime so they are jailed more often and are highly represented there. The answer is jailing more of them as a deterrent, not less. Prisoners can help build new jails. | Chris |
| Under law, all people should be treated as equal, no excuses. We all have choices in our lives and and paths that we can take. If we chose to take a path of crime and/or violence we must bear the consequences. we cannot blame others or society for our actions, we have made the choice. | John |
| Labour, Maori Party and the Greens are just a pack of idiots. | Scott |
| It should be something that is considered then ignored. | Adrian |
| No! | Bill |
| god wont be able to save NZ if the woke radical left and elite Maori are in power after October 14. I certainly will reconsider whether I continue to have assets in NZ | Alwyn |
| There should be one law for all | David |
| Maori cultural customs have nothing to do with law. It is a fabrication aimed by elite Maori aimed at reducing penalties solely for Maori to the point where there are virtually no penalties at all. Instead just a chat with a tribal elder. | Alastair |
| Of court not. If you have offended you should be treated in a similar way to everyone else. | Carol |
| It’s getting so bad I don’t actually want to I visit Auckland anymore! | Lynne |
| This is the land of Oz – sorry no insult to Australia but The Land of NZ. This is insane! | john |
| Of course not! The very concept is absurd. Justice should be blindfolded and is! | Roger |
| Our ethnic culture is one we can share amongst those the same should we wish to but for society encompassing those differing cultures it must be one rule for all – most especially in the criminal justice system. As soon as harm has been done we have to be viewed the same if we wish to be considered part of not only society but humanity. | Leeanne |
| All NZ equal and laws should be applied equally no matter how sorry people feel for themselves. | Janet |
| 1 rule for all !! | john |
| The law needs to be the same for all regardless of their ethnic background | Ken |
| Definitely NOT, NO, Nein etc….. | Carl |
| Definitely not. One law for all?? Yeah, right. | Neville |
| The personal obligation to comply with the law applies to us all regardless of background. All should be equal before the law. | Pete |
| Do the crime do the time, all of it | Bryan |
| The Justice system must be colour blind Heres an idea for reducing the Maori population in prison. How about only treating those with over 50% maori blood as maori while the rest are counted with the portion of society predominant blood in their system | Cookie |
| Totally absurd just like all the other disgraceful ideology this Labour regime has forced upon New Zealand | Andrew |
| We are in a upward spiral and this must be stopped, one law for all. | Murray |
| No One people, one law. Tikanga is yet another excuse for bad behavior,poor parenting and poor life style. | gale |
| You do the crime, you do the time!! | Ian |
| Do the crime do the time. | Robbie |
| Never should be if we stand for equality. | Galina |
| One people, one law – this how democracy works…. | Richard |
| the law is the law, culture has nothing to do with it. | kenton |
| Treat everyone the same ! | Mike |
| One law for all | Jo |
| Definitely not. | William |
| It does not matter the ethnicity of an offender, do the crime do the time. | Andrew |
| Cultural Issues are a scapegoat for being soft on serious Criminal behaviour. If People know there is no ramification for a Crime they Commit then skys the limit. There is only one universal common LAW and if that is not adhered to then suitable punishment must be applied. The not so subtle defunding of the Police has also been noted. | Geoff |
| One law for all is the cornerstone of democracy. Without one law for all, democracy fails. | Rod |
| We all live in NZ, therefore we should all be treated by the same rules. | helen |
| One law for all ethnicities otherwise we’ll need a cultural law for every ethnicity in New Zealand. There’s no minority preference under New Zealand law! | Ray |
| Do the crime- do the time( in prison) | Don |
| Absolutely not! Justice should be colour-blind – end of story! | Brian |
| I had no idea Labour’s Maori takeover had gone so far. Thank you for exposing what is really going on. Cultural issues have no place in the justice system. | Sue |
| It’s no wonder that crime is out of control, with Labour corrupting the operation of the criminal justice system in the way that they have in order to play ‘favourites’ with Maori. National will have a big job ahead of them to clean all of this up. | Fred |
| To operate effectively, the justice system demands equality before the law. It’s why Lady Justice is depicted as having a blindfold. That’s what we need to get back to. | Gordon |
| How stupid, on the one hand to impose a jail sentence on a farmer in dispute with his council, when it’s his land, for goodness sake, then on the other, give discounts to violent offenders so they are free to harm other people. The system is seriously flawed and desperately needs fixing! | Thomas |