Following the unprecedented terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidian on 15 March 2019, the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCOI) into the attack was established, and its report was publicly released on 8 December 2020. The Commission made 44 recommendations to eradicate violent extremism and foster a truly inclusive society for people from every culture, faith, and background.
Recommendation 42 of the RCOI directs New Zealand Police to revise how we record complaints of hate crime and train our frontline staff on hate motivated offending. In July 2021, we received funding from Cabinet to establish Te Raranga, a new programme of work to improve our response to hate crime and hate incidents, and support those who have been affected by it.
Led by Deputy Commissioner, Wally Haumaha, Te Raranga will improve internal systems, practice, and processes, improve the knowledge and skills of our staff to identify and record hate crime, and make it easier for victims to recognise and report hate crime.
About
Te Raranga is a victim-centric approach to hate crime. Over four years we will develop new resources to make it easier for victims and their families to report hate crime, education support to prevent members of the public carrying out hate crimes, and training for our people to respond to hate crime if it occurs.
Te Raranga Advisory Group
Te Raranga will also lead the newly established Te Raranga Advisory Group (TRAG) to strengthen work at the government and agency level. Confirmed TRAG members include NZ Human Rights Commission, Netsafe, Te Tari Taiwhenua | Internal Affairs, Crime Stoppers, and CertNZ.
Improving our Response to Hate Crime - Report
Following the March 15 terror attack on Christchurch masjidain, Police spoke to communities to better understand the incidence and impact of hate crime in Aotearoa. The Evidence Based Policing Centre (EBPC) report provides an overview of people’s views and ideas. The Action plan is a summary of the report.
- Improving our Response to Hate Crime Report (PDF 1.8MB)
- Improving our Response to Hate Crime Action Plan (PDF 260KB)