A 2022 rally in Auckland protesting against Asian discrimination. Photo: RNZ / Kate Gregan
About one in six New Zealanders experienced discrimination in 2024 according to data collected for the annual report of the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS).
The report explores data from the NZCVS key results 2024 (Cycle 7) report, based on interviews with New Zealanders conducted between October 2023 and October 2024.
Seventeen percent of adults reported experiencing discrimination, with racial discrimination being the most common, reported by 11 percent of adults. Discrimination by gender and age were both next, each reported by five percent of adults.
Around half of sexual assault victims (49 percent) thought that their victimisation was driven by discrimination towards gender or sex.
Around a fifth of victims of threats and harassment (20 percent) thought their victimisation was driven by racial discrimination.
Sector insights general manager at the Ministry of Justice Rebecca Parish said from 2018 to 2024, nine percent of Asian victims felt their victimisation was due to racial discrimination, three times higher than the proportion of European victims.
"Research in the United States and Canada has also reported higher rates of discrimination against Asian people since the Covid-19 pandemic."
People from different population groups reported varying experiences of discrimination. In 2024, 21 percent of women reported experiencing some form of discrimination, four percentage points higher than the New Zealand average, and compared with 13 percent of men.
Māori and Chinese adults are more likely to report experiencing discrimination. Twenty-two percent of Māori adults reported discrimination, but the number was even higher for Chinese adults at 28 percent.
Bisexual adults were almost twice as likely to report experiencing discrimination compared to the New Zealand average (30 percent to 17 percent).
Discrimination within the criminal justice system was reported by seven percent of adults over their lifetime. Rates were significantly higher among Māori (18 percent) and Pacific peoples (12 percent).
In 2024, nearly half of New Zealand adults (47 percent) came into contact with the criminal justice system, for reasons ranging from police vehicle stops (36 percent) to attending jury service (three percent).
Most people who came into contact with the criminal justice system (67 percent) had a high level of satisfaction with the system but only 40 percent had high trust, which was lower than the New Zealand average (45 percent).
"Contact with the criminal justice system is just one of many factors that influence a person's trust in the system. Perceptions of fairness, effectiveness, and bias within the criminal justice system can all influence trust outside of direct contact with the system. Studies with victims in other countries have also found low trust among victims of crime who have been through criminal proceedings," Parish said.
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