"The survey was designed to inform the ‘Strengthening the Criminal Justice System Workshop’ that I hosted in Wellington on 4-5th March 2019. Findings from both the survey and the workshop will provide the Minister of Justice with information about victims’ experiences so improvements can be made through the Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata, Safe and Effective Justice reform programme.

While the survey has limitations and cannot claim to represent the views of all people who have experienced crime, this is one of the few surveys that specifically asks victims of crime about their experiences in the criminal justice system. The results of the survey confirmed what victims have been telling us for many years. The overall responses from respondents about their experience in the justice system were largely negative." (From the Foreword by Dr Kim McGregor, Chief Victims Advisor to the Government).

The Workshop playback report (#6366) and other resources are available on the Chief Victims Advisor's website.

Background: The Hāpaitia te Oranga Tangata, Safe and Effective Justice reform programme was established to create a better criminal justice system for Aotearoa New Zealand, and to deliver on the Government’s objectives to improve public safety, better support victims of crime, meet our obligations to Māori, and build confidence in the criminal justice system.

A Criminal Justice Summit was held on 20–22 August 2018 in Wellington to launch the programme and start a public conversation. At the Criminal Justice Summit, Hon Andrew Little, the Minister of Justice, reaffirmed his commitment
to ensuring that the needs of victims are at the heart of any reform of the criminal justice system.

To meet that commitment, Minister Little asked Dr Kim McGregor, Chief Victims Advisor to Government, to develop and host a victim-focused workshop. The ‘Strengthening the Criminal Justice System for Victims Workshop’ was held on 4–5 March 2019 in Wellington.

An online survey was developed to inform the workshop and the wider reform programme. The Strengthening the Criminal Justice System for Victims Survey asked respondents about their experiences in the criminal justice system, what works and doesn’t work, and how the system can be improved. The survey was aimed at people who had experienced crime. Record #6365