Law Commission recommends hate crime reform
Te Aka Matua o te Ture - Law Commission's final report, Hara Ngākau Kino: Review of hate crime law, has been presented to Parliament this week.
In this review of hate crime law, the Law Commission has considered whether the existing law effectively responds to hate crime or whether changes are needed. The report is, in part, a response to recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry held following the attack on worshippers at two masjidain (Muslim places of worship) in Christchurch on 25 March 2019, in which 51 people died and another 40 people were injured as a result of gunshot wounds.
Commissioner Dr Mark Hickford says that the Law Commission recommends strengthening hate crime law. However, it has not recommended creating new offences.
“The Law Commission found that there are problems with how the law is working in practice,” he says. “It concluded the best way to address these problems is targeted reform of the existing legal framework, rather than creating new specific offences for hate crimes.”
The Law Commission says changes are needed within the criminal justice system to ensure that hate crimes are consistently identified, recorded and denounced in the courts. Doing so will work to hold offenders accountable, recognise the impact of their actions on victims and communities, and reduce the risk of further hate crimes occurring.
It is now up to the Government to respond to the Report and decide whether to accept its recommendations.