Disproportionality rises the further they go in the system, factsheet states
The disproportionate representation of Māori women in the criminal justice system increases the more they progress through the stages of the system, according to a new factsheet from the New Zealand Ministry of Justice.
Rebecca Parish, the justice ministry’s general manager for sector insights, pointed out that Māori women comprise only 15 percent of New Zealand’s women.
“Our research shows that wāhine Māori are disproportionately represented at every point of the justice system, with a higher proportion (compared to the overall population of women) coming through courts, being remanded in custody and sentenced to imprisonment,” Parish said in a media release.
According to the key findings in the new factsheet, in the year leading up to June 2025 in New Zealand, Māori women made up:
Per the justice ministry’s media release, the factsheet titled “Reducing the disproportionality of Māori in the criminal justice system: wāhine Māori” contained an analysis focusing on Māori women’s experience of the justice system.
According to the justice ministry, the factsheet aims to offer early assistance to the efforts to comprehend where disproportionality arises and where reforms will likely have the most consequences.
In its media release, the justice ministry accepted that factors such as seriousness and history of offending could explain some disproportionality, described as a group’s overrepresentation in comparison with others.
However, the justice ministry highlighted that a proportion, specifically in the system’s latter stages, still lacked an explanation.
The justice ministry attributed some unexplained disproportionality to the response of the criminal justice system, including discretionary decisions made within it, to Māori women.
The justice ministry confirmed that decreasing the disproportionality of Māori within the overall criminal justice system is one of the strategic goals it is prioritising.
With efforts at the initial stage focusing on Māori women, the justice ministry explained that the justice sector is weighing possible ways to enhance the information transmitted to decision-makers across the criminal justice system to ensure that the system can provide informed responses tailored to Māori women’s needs and circumstances.
“This is partly because ensuring equitable outcomes for wāhine Māori have broader positive impacts on whānau and communities, including improved youth outcomes and reduced pressure on other government support systems,” Parish said in the media release.
She noted that engaging in ongoing analysis will help the justice ministry keep track of the effects of its work and consider further responses addressing the disproportionality of Māori women in the criminal justice system.
