Waatea News Column: New Zealand’s selective view of crime this election

I have been all around the country this month hosting election debates and in each one crime has been raised as an issue of major concern, yet the focus on the types of crime tells a very different story of how that concern is registered and comprehended politically.

Ram Raids and Gang turf wars generate enormous headlines and clickbait sensationalism but if we look at the stats we see a very different reality of crime for the vast majority of Kiwis.

There were 886 ram-raids in 2022.

There were 57 murders in 2022.

Those are terrible crimes, of that there is no doubt, but in 2022 there were 175,573 domestic violence investigations with almost 50% of Māori women experiencing domestic violence in their lifetime.

Again, ram raids and murders are terrible crimes, but their numbers pale into insignificance when you look at domestic violence in New Zealand.

Our attention is captured by Gang violence and Ram Raids, but utterly missing when it comes to domestic violence.

The debate in NZ around ram raids is a race as to who can put ankle bracelets on children first!

ACT says 11 year olds, National says 10 year olds and Labour say 12 year olds!

The fact all we have in this debate is an argument over how to punish children tells you how failed the debate has become.

Domestic Violence is a hidden civil war against our loved ones that causes far more damage and gets far less attention.

First published on Waatea News.