Statistics New Zealand's Criminal Conviction and Sentencing Tables show that the Northland court service delivery area had the highest rate of convictions during 2015, with 88.5% of adult charge outcomes resulting in a conviction.
The conviction rate was high across all courts in the region, with 89.9% of all outcomes resulting in a conviction in Dargaville, 88.8% in Whangarei, 88.5% in Kaikohe and 86.9% in Kaitaia.
Outcomes refer to the final disposition of charges finalised in the High Court and District Courts.
Rates varied over the country, with 77.9% of charges in the Auckland service delivery area resulting in conviction. Wellington (79.2%), Otago/South Canterbury (80.4%) and Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast (81.3%) were also relatively low. The Auckland city courts had a conviction rate of 76.2%.
The national average was 83.2%. Bay of Plenty/Coromandel (87.8%), East Coast/Hawke's Bay (87.7%) and Central North Island (87.1%) were closest to Northland in high conviction rates.
Overall, 8.2% of finalised charges resulted in diversion or discharge without conviction. Southern New Zealand had the highest rate, with 11.6% of charges in Otago/South Canterbury and 11.2% in Southland/Central Otago resulting in diversion or discharge without conviction.
The Courts at Queenstown (24.1% of all outcomes) and Alexandra (21.2% of all outcomes) had the highest rate of diversions or discharges without conviction. Oamaru was also high, with 14.3%.
Northland (5.0%), East Coast/Hawke's Bay (5.2%) and Bay of Plenty/Coromandel (5.3%) had the lowest rate of finalised charges resulting in diversion or discharge without conviction. Diversion or discharge without conviction comprised 3.9% of all outcomes in Whangarei courts.
Nationally, 8.4% of charges were not proved. There was national variation again, with 12.2% of charges in the Auckland region not proved, through to 6.1% of charges in Taranaki/Whanganui. In Auckland city courts 13.6% of charges were not proved.
Outcome of finalised charges against adults, year to 31 December 2015
| Court service delivery area | Outcomes | Convicted | Diversion, Discharge without conviction |
Not proved | Other |
| Northland | 4301 | 3806 | 213 | 271 | 11 |
| Auckland | 13705 | 10682 | 1317 | 1678 | 28 |
| Manukau | 10,213 | 8400 | 855 | 946 | 12 |
| Waikato | 5599 | 4702 | 490 | 389 | 18 |
| BOP/Coromandel | 4770 | 4188 | 255 | 321 | 6 |
| Central Nth Isld | 3853 | 3357 | 253 | 238 | 5 |
| East Coast/Hawke's Bay | 4907 | 4301 | 256 | 340 | 10 |
| Taranaki/Whanganui | 3465 | 2973 | 276 | 210 | 6 |
| Manawatu/Wairarapa | 3844 | 3227 | 289 | 321 | 7 |
| Wellington | 5684 | 4507 | 609 | 543 | 25 |
| Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast | 2989 | 2430 | 308 | 245 | 6 |
| Canterbury | 7515 | 6505 | 479 | 516 | 15 |
| Otago/South Canterbury | 3061 | 2461 | 355 | 236 | 9 |
| Southland/Central Otago | 2687 | 2207 | 300 | 173 | 7 |
| All New Zealand | 76593 | 63746 | 6255 | 6427 | 165 |
Proportion of outcomes by region, year to 31 December 2015
| Court service delivery area | Convicted | Diversion | Not proved | Other |
| Northland | 88.5% | 5.0% | 6.3% | 0.3% |
| Auckland | 77.9% | 9.6% | 12.2% | 0.2% |
| Manukau | 82.2% | 8.4% | 9.3% | 0.1% |
| Waikato | 84.0% | 8.8% | 6.9% | 0.3% |
| BOP/Coromandel | 87.8% | 5.3% | 6.7% | 0.1% |
| Central Nth Isld | 87.1% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 0.1% |
| East Coast/Hawke's Bay | 87.7% | 5.2% | 6.9% | 0.2% |
| Taranaki/Whanganui | 85.8% | 8.0% | 6.1% | 0.2% |
| Manawatu/Wairarapa | 83.9% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 0.2% |
| Wellington | 79.3% | 10.7% | 9.6% | 0.4% |
| Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast | 81.3% | 10.3% | 8.2% | 0.2% |
| Canterbury | 86.6% | 6.4% | 6.9% | 0.2% |
| Otago/South Canterbury | 80.4% | 11.6% | 7.7% | 0.3% |
| Southland/Central Otago | 82.1% | 11.2% | 6.4% | 0.3% |
| All New Zealand | 83.2% | 8.2% | 8.4% | 0.2% |
Statistics extracted from Statistics New Zealand.