ACT & Hobson's Pledge: The Myth of Māori Equality in Justice

Why TPM is right about "Abolishing Prisons"

By Dr Harpreet Singh | drhsinghnz.substack.com | FB: @DrHSinghNZ | BSky: @DrHsinghNZ | IG: @DrHSinghNZ

The numbers do not lie: Māori are not failing the system. The system is failing Māori. -Dr Harpreet Singh

Author’s Note: Māori are only 17.8% of the population, yet they become 37% of Police proceedings, 45% of convictions, and 52% of those in prison. A 6% undercount hides at least 405 more Māori prisoners, erased from the official record. The true scale of inequality is worse than the numbers ever admit. This is not an accident. It is a system that consistently produces harm for Māori while protecting others.

A Clear Imbalance

Māori make up 17.8% of New Zealand’s population but around 52% of the prison population. This is a clear and severe imbalance between Māori and non‑Māori. It is not a recent issue. It stems from the long-term impacts of colonisation, including widespread land loss, disrupted communities, and reduced economic security. These historic harms continue to shape outcomes for Māori today.

Different Experiences at Every Stage

Māori and non‑Māori do not move through the justice system in the same way. Māori make up 37% of the people first approached or proceeded against by the Police. Their share rises to 45% at conviction. By the time people reach prison, Māori make up 52% of those incarcerated. At every step, the imbalance becomes more severe.

Research shows the gap is even larger than the official figures suggest. A national study found a 6% undercount in Māori prison data, equal to at least 405 Māori prisoners missing from official statistics. The real disparity between Māori and non‑Māori is greater than what is publicly reported.

Figures are approximate.

Stronger Impacts on Māori Communities

The burden of imprisonment falls far more heavily on Māori families and communities. Many Māori already face barriers in healthcare, housing, education, and employment, and time in prison makes these challenges even harder to overcome.

Research shows that Māori released from prison often struggle to access basic healthcare because of cost and limited services. Māori women are hit especially hard. They make up 61% to 63% of all women in prison, and their absence disrupts families, separates children, and creates long-term harm that non‑Māori communities experience far less often.

Government Responsibility

Experts state that the government is not meeting its basic responsibilities to collect accurate ethnicity data or ensure the safety and well-being of Māori in prison or once they return to their communities. Recent policies that focus on longer sentences and bigger prisons increase Māori imprisonment at a faster rate than non‑Māori, because Māori are already targeted earlier in the justice process.

According to the Human Rights Commission, Māori are also exposed to tougher conditions, such as solitary confinement and compulsory treatment orders, more often than non‑Māori. This creates extra harm and reinforces the unfair treatment that Māori experience throughout the system.

Two Different Realities

For non‑Māori, the justice system is something encountered occasionally and with far lighter consequences. For Māori, it is a constant and damaging presence that brings more Police contact, more convictions, and far higher imprisonment. The treatment is harsher, the support is weaker, and even the official data captures Māori less accurately than non‑Māori.

Moving Forward

Māori are not overrepresented in prison because of personal choices. They are overrepresented because the systems around them create unequal chances and unequal outcomes. Closing this gap demands sustained action, fairer policy, and stronger support for Māori communities. Te Pāti Māori has argued that the system is so structurally harmful that true justice will one day require abolishing prisons altogether and replacing them with solutions that heal rather than punish. Without real reform, the same injustices will keep harming Māori whānau and the generations that follow.