Summarised by Centrist
Official police figures show a sharp fall in crime across New Zealand. It peaked in early 2023 at nearly seven victims per 1000 people, after some COVID-era drops.
It has since reversed dramatically. The June 2025 figure was around five victims per 1000.
The stats adjust for population growth and for the number of days in each month, ensuring an “apples with apples” comparison. On that consistent basis, crime victims have fallen significantly across the board.
The victimisation data used here covers five ANZSOC (Australian and New Zealand Standard Offence Classification) divisions, essentially violent, face-to-face street crime:
- Acts intended to cause injury (assault)
- Sexual assault and related offences
- Abduction, harassment and other related offences against a person
- Robbery, extortion and related offences
- Theft and related offences
The Police note that burglary victimisations are excluded because they are classified as offences against property rather than against the person. Some argue they should be included, since burglaries always have human victims.
Other ANZSOC divisions are also excluded from the victimisations dataset, including: homicide, negligent acts endangering people, fraud and deception, offences against justice or government, property damage, public order offences, traffic and vehicle offences, and prohibited weapons.
The bottom line: after years of headlines about crime spiralling out of control, the hard numbers now show the opposite. Recorded crime in New Zealand has dropped.
